What Efl Teachers Should Know About Intercultural Competence 1
The Effectiveness of Intercultural Awareness in Improving EFL
Transcript of The Effectiveness of Intercultural Awareness in Improving EFL
PEOPLE’S DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF ALGERIA
MINISTRY OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH
MOHAMED KHIDER UNIVERSITY – BISKRA
FACULTY OF LETTERS AND LANGUAGES
DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES
SECTION OF ENGLISH
A Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master degree in
English (Science of language)
Submitted by: Supervised by
Miss.Athmani Hana Mr.BouhithemTayeb
Board of Examiners
Chairman Mr. Tamagoult Slimane University of Biskra
Supervisor: Mr. Tayab Bouhithem University of Biskra
Examiner: MRS.Bakhouche Rim University of Biskra
Academic year 2015 ⁄ 2016
The Effectiveness of Intercultural Awareness in Improving EFL
Learners’ Communicative Competence
Case of Third Year English Students at BiskraUniversity
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DEDICATION
In the name of « ALLAH » the Most Gracious
the Most Merciful and the most compassionate.
I dictate this work to:
to my dearest grandmother
My Mother and my Father
My Brothers and Sisters
My Nieces and Nephews
My Brothers and Sisters in Law
All the extended Family and Friends
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Acknowledgements
I wish to express my sincere gratitude to my supervisor Mr. Bouhithem Tayeb on his
constant help, precious suggestions and valuable advices.
My sincere thanks, in advance, to MR. Tamagoult Slimane and MRS. Bakhouche Rim for
their accepting to be the member of the board.
I am also grateful to Mr. Walid for his help guidness and encouragement without him this
work will never be completed.
I will not forget, to give my deep appreciation to Mr. Rezig for his help and encouragment.
I am indefinitely indebted to my mother who devoted all her time for me during the
preparation of this work, God bless her now and forever.
I am also grateful to all my teachers whose help and collaboration in the answering of the
questionnaire is invaluable.
I will not forget, of course, to express my gratitude to all the students who have kindly
accepted to cooperate, without whom, this work would not have been possible
I am grateful to any person who contributed this research.
My deep appreciations go also to all who helped me in one way or another to realize this
work.
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Abstract
The present study aims to investigate the effectiveness of intercultural awareness in
improving EFL learners’ communicative competence. so as Algerian universities EFL
students still confront difficulties in using English appropriately because their lack of
awareness of the culture of the TL also the influence of their own culture .the ultimate goal
of this research is over come cultural interference from Arabic into English and to make
Algerian student aware of the differences between Arabic and English and to put emphasis
of the important of having knowledge about the English socio-cultural norms and
expression to improve EFL learners communicative competence .the data collected
through students’ and teachers questionnaire . The students’ questionnaire shed lights on
their points of view and attitudes towards learning English and the culture of English .In
orde to evaluate their ability to communicate and more specifically how much they are able
to analyze a spoken or written discourse. The teacher questionnaire is concerned with the
way they present culture in EFL classroom and the main difficulties that face EFL learners
there .the obtained results revealed that third year students of English need to know more
about the English culture in term of social cultural norms and expression so that they can
communicate effectively specially with native speakers, and the way culture is taught at
Biskra University is ineffective due to the lack of equipments,the context in which culture
taught in amphitheatre, the overcrowded class and the limited period of time.
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list of Abbreviations
EFL: English as a Foreign Language
ICC: Intercultural Communicative Competence
LMD: License Master Doctorate
M,K,U: Mohammed Kheider University
ALM: Audio-Lingual Method
FL: Foreign Language
L1: First Language
CC : Communicative Competence
TL: Target Language
Q: Question
FL: Foreign Language
L2: Second Language
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List of Tables
Table n° 1: Students’ age……………………………………………………………..43
Table n°2: Students’ gender……………………………………………………………43
Table n°3: Students’ choice…………………………………………………………....44
Table n°4: students’ feeling while studying English…………………………………...45
Table n°5: Students ability in communication with native speakers…………………...45
Table n°6/: Students’ results lack of communication………………………………….46
Table n°7: Students’ personal evaluation of their linguistic competence………………47
Table n°8: Students’ perception of the importance of the linguistic competence……...48
Table n°9: Students’ opinion about being communication neglected in the classroom…49
Table n°10: The major focus of teachers while performing communicative tasks…….50
Table n°11: Students’ personal evaluation of their competence in communication……..51
Table n°12: Students’ reasons of their poor competence in communication……………52
Table n°13: Students’ favorite communicative task…………………………………….53
Table n°14: Students’ opinion about the integration of culture in the classroom………54
Table n°16: Students’ opinion about the frequency of using tools to integrate culture….55
Table n°17: Students’ perception about the sufficiency of tools used in the classroom to
integrate culture………………………………………………………………………….56
Table n°18: Students’ sources of acquiring cultural knowledge…………………………57
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Table n°19: Students’ opinion about the reason of learners’ poor communicative
abilities……………………………………………………………………………………58
Table 20: Teachers’ gender……………………………………………………………….63
Table n 21: The Teaching Experience of ‘Oral Expression……………………………….64
Table n22 : teachers’ graduation..........................................................................................64
Table n24: Teachers’ experience in teaching......................................................................65
Table n 23: Teachers module of teaching...........................................................................65
Table n25: Teachers’ evaluation of students’ cultural competence....................................66
Table n26: Teachers’ opinion about cultural context…………………………………….67
Table n 27: Teachers opinion about the important of cultural competence.........................67
Table n 28: Tools and materials that teachers’ use to introduce FL culture……………....68
Table n 29: Teachers’ opinion about the effect of FL culture on the cultural competence
and communicative competence........................................................................................69
Table n30: Teachers’ method of teaching English............................................................70
Table n 31 : Teachers’ evaluation of students’ communicative competence…………….71
Table n 32: Teachers’ opinion about the reasons of students’ poor communication..........71
Table n 33: Teachers’ overview about the importance of communication in the
classroom............................................................................................................................72
Table n34: Teachers’ opinion about the goal behind teaching communicative
competence.........................................................................................................................73
VII
Table n 35: Teachers appropriate method for good communication..................................74
Table n 36: Teachers’ used activities.................................................................................75
Table n 37: Teachers view about developing students’ competence in communication....75
Table n 38: teachers’ consideration of the reasons that achieved communicative.............77
competence
Table n 39 : Teachers knowledge about the effectiveness of communication..................78
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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure. 01 Canale and Swain’s Model (1980……………………………………………
Figure n° 2: Students’ age………………………………………………………………..43
Figure n°3: Students’ gender……………………………………………………………..44
Figure n°4: Students’ chois………………………………………………………………..44
Figure n°5: students’ feeling while studying English……………………………………..45
Figure n°6: Students ability in communication with native speakers……………………..47
Figure n°7: Students’ results lack of communication……………………………………..48
Figure n°8: Students’ personal evaluation of their linguistic competence………………..49
Figure n°9: Students’ perception of the importance of the linguistic competence………50
Figure n°10: Students’ opinion about being communication neglected in the classroom...51
Figure n°11: The major focus of teachers while performing communicative tasks………52
Figure n°12: Students’ personal evaluation of their competence in communication……53
Figure n°13: Students’ reasons of their poor competence in communication…………...54
Figure n°14: Students’ favorite communicative task…………………………………....55
Figure n°15: Students’ opinion about the integration of culture in the classroom………..56
Figure n°16: Students’ opinion about the frequency of using tools to integrate culture.....57
Figure n°17: Students’ perception about the sufficiency of tools used in the classroom to
integrate culture…………………………………………………………………………58
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Figure n°18: Students’ sources of acquiring cultural knowledge………………………..59
Figure n°19: Students’ opinion about the reason of learners’ poor communicative
abilities…………………………………………………………………………………...63
Figure 20: Teachers’ gender……………………………………………………………..64
Figure n 21: The Teaching Experience of ‘Oral Expression……………………...............64
Figure n22 : teachers’ graduation........................................................................................65
Figure n23: Teachers’ experience in teaching.....................................................................65
Figure n 24: Teachers module of teaching...........................................................................66
Figure n25: Teachers’ evaluation of students’ cultural competence..............................66
Figure n26: Teachers’ opinion about cultural context…………………………………67
Figure n 27: Teachers opinion about the important of cultural competence....................68
Figure n 28: Tools and materials that teachers’ use to introduce FL culture……………69
Figure n 29: Teachers’ opinion about the effect of FL culture on the cultural competence
and communicative competence.........................................................................................70
Figure n30: Teachers’ method of teaching English.............................................................71
Figure n 31 : Teachers’ evaluation of students’ communicative competence……………72
Figure n 32: Teachers’ opinion about the reasons of students’ poor communication..........72
Figure n 33: Teachers’ overview about the importance of communication in the
classroom.73
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Figure n34: Teachers’ opinion about the goal behind teaching communicative
competence...........................................................................................................................73
Figure n 35: Teachers appropriate method for good communication.................................74
Figure n 36: Teachers’ used activities................................................................................75
Figure n 37: Teachers view about developing students’ competence in communication....76
Figure n 38: teachers’ consideration of the reasons that achieved communicative
competence...........................................................................................................................77
Figure n 39 : Teachers knowledge about the effectiveness of communication...................78
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Table of contents
Dedication ……………………………………………………………………….… XI
Acknowledgements…………………………………………………..…………….. XI
Abstract……………………………………………………………………….…… XI
List of Abbreviations…………………………………………….………………… XI
List of Tables………………………………………………..……………………… V
List of Figures…………………………………………………………………… XII XI
Table of Content……………………………………………..…………………….. XI
General Introduction………………………………………………………..1
1.Statement of the Problem………………………..…….…….….…………..2
2.Research Questions …………………………………….……….………….2
2.1. Sub questions ……………………………………..…………..………...2
3.Hypothesis of the Study ……………………………………..………..…..2
4.Aims of the Study ……………………………….…………………..............3
5.Significance of the Study ……………………….…………………...............3
6.Research Methodology……………………….……..…..…………….….......3
7. Research Design ……………………………………..……………………....3
8.Population ……………………………………..………………………...…..4
9. Sampling ………………………………..………..………………………...4
10.Data Collection Tools …………………………………….………………..4
11.Structure of the Study…………………………………….………….....…..4
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Chapter one: Intercultural Awarness And Competence
Introduction……………………………………………………………………………6
1. Definitions……………………………………………………………………………7
1.1. Culture………………………………………………………………………………7
1.2. Culture awareness……………………………………………………………………8
1.3. Intercultural awareness……………………………………………………………….9
1.4. Intercultural competence……………………………………………………………10
2. Acculturation model (Schuman theory)………………………………………………..11
3. Cultural chock…………………………………………………………………………13
4. The differences between Arab culture and English culture…………………………..14
5. The role of culture in EFL classroom………………………………………………….17
6. Integration of culture through the four skills………………………………………….18
Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………….2
Chapter two: Linguistic and Communicative Competence
Introduction…………………………………………………………………………..25
2.1 Definition of Linguistic Competence ……………………………………………26
2.2 Definition of Communicative Competence………………………………………27
2.2.1 Communicative competence models ……………………………………………28
2.3 Discourse Devices Reflecting Target Culture……………………………………..32
2.3.1. Collocations………………………………………………………………33
2.3.2. Proverbs …………………………………………………………………..32
2.3.3. Idioms………………………………………………………………………32
2.4. Barriers of Intercultural Communication…………………………………………33
2.5. Reasons for the Problems ……………………………………………………….37
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Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………….39
Chapter Three: Methodology and Findings of the Field Work
Introduction………………………………………………………………………….41
3.1 Methodology………………………………………………………………………41
3.2 Aim of the Questionnaires………………………………………………………….42
3.3 Description of the Questionnaires………………………………………………….42
3.3.1 Description of Teachers` Questionnaires……………………………………
3.3.2 Description of Students` Questionnaires…………………………………….
3.4 Data Analysis.............................................................................................................43
3.4.1 Analysis of Students` Questionnaires………………………………………...43
3.4.2 Analysis of Teachers` Questionnaires……………………………………….62
3.5 Results of the Questionnaires……………………………………………………….40
3.6 Discussion of Research Findings…………………………........................................
3.7 Discussion of Research Hypothesis…………………………………………………
3.8 Implications for Teachers and Students……………………………………………
3.9 Suggestions for Further Studies
Conclusion …………………………………………………………………………….…79
General Conclusion…………………………………………………………………..….80
Recommendation………………………………………………………………………….…...81
References…………………………………………………………………………….…..82
Appendices
Appendix One: Students’ Questionnaire
Appendix Two: Teachers’ Questionnaire
General Introduction
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General Introduction
Many Foreign Language Learners study the English Language in order to develop their
communicative competence and to become fluent and accurate like native speakers. They
spend most of their time on expanding, explaining and exploring the range of sophisticated
structures and vocabulary to achieve the ultimate amount for being advanced learners and
to become good speakers. However many EFL learners produce hesitant output and
therefore, they do not develop their communicative competence since they feel they are
making many mistakes when they use the target language Therefore acquiring intercultural
awareness becomes an essential tool to help learners to improve their communicative
competence . This tool may enhance all the disabilities that most of EFL learners are facing
during their discussion. In other words enable learners to organize and systemize the way
they think, imagine and create an easy context in English in order to be knowledgeable and
to be well prepared to possess a good speaker. Intercultural awareness is explained as “an
individual's attempt to find a way to fill the gap between their communication effort and
immediate available linguistic resources” (Maleki, 2007).
Moreover this dissertation attempts to offer an insight into the current situation of EFL
learners who focus more on the communicative competence rather than learning the
grammatical rules and ignoring the cultural differences bound which causes
communicative failure. In this study aims at investigating the effectiveness of intercultural
awareness in raising the communicative competence and in order to avoid communication
breakdowns that may lead to serious conflicts so in order to have a successful intercultural
interactions and connecting with people in different culture some considerations must be
taken such as : Respecting the cultural Differences and Working Together, Building Trust
Across Cultural Boundaries and understanding Body Language .
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2. Statement of the Problem
Language is a means of communication which is involved in culture, since the mastery
of communication entails the mastery of language and culture. However, Algerian students
as FL learners still face difficulties in communicating with native speakers in addition to
the problem of translating and analyzing target language discourses. As a result, this issue
may be triggered by lack of awareness of the cultural differences between speech
communities. Therefore, students should be knowledgeable about the FL culture in order to
be communicatively competent.
3. Research Questions
In the current study, the following questions are addressed:
What is the role of intercultural awareness in improving English as a Foreign
Language (EFL) students’ communicative competence?
3.1. Sub questions:
1. Is intercultural awareness essential in the learning process?
2. How can teachers deal with intercultural awareness when teaching the target
language?
4. Hypothesis of the Study
If EFL learners’ intercultural awareness is raised, and they are taught the language in its
cultural diminution their communicative competence will be improved.
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5. Aims of the Study
The current study aims at investigating the effectiveness of intercultural awareness in
improving EFL learners’ communicative competence.
It amis to :
1. Raising teachers’ and students’ awareness towards the effectiveness of intercultural
awareness in developing their communicative competence.
2. To bring the most important ideas and suggestions for integrating culture in EFL
classes.
6. Significance of the Study
This study aims to offer a considerable contribution to FL teaching and learning
field. As a result of the integration of intercultural aspects in the process of learning the
foreign language would help students raise their awareness towards FL culture to develop
their communicative competence.
7. Research Methodology
7.1. Research Design
The current study is based on descriptive method in order to describe the relationship
between intercultural awareness and communicative competence. The researcher wants to
use the quantitative research technique. The data gathered will be in a kind of
questionnaires representing random samples of third-year learners and teachers. The
obtained data will be analyzed and represented in graphs and tables to show the results on
the last chapter.
7.2. Population
There are 337 students and 34 teachers in the English branch at Mohamed Kheider
University of Biskra.
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7.3. Sampling
We will choose 10 teachers in the English Branch at Mohamed Khider University of
Biskra and 30 respondents from the overall students of third year LMD as a sample of
study. They will be selected randomly and will respond to the questionnaires anonymously.
8. Data Collection Tools
The data will be gathered through the administration of two questionnaires:
The first one will be directed to teachers in the English Branch at Mohamed Khider
University of Biskra.
The second one will be directed to third year students in the English Branch at
Mohamed Khider University of Biskra.
9. Structure of the Study
The present study is composed of three chapters. The first one is devoted to give a
general overview about the intercultural awareness and competence. Through this chapter,
we try to define the concept of culture and intercultural competence that students might
encounter during the mastery of this skill. The second chapter is about communicative
competence in general, its definitions and its practical uses to improve learning and
teaching a foreign language. The third chapter, as a field work analyses and interprets the
data collected from the utilized tools. Moreover, it shows the results and the suggestions of
the research study.
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Chapter One
Intercultural Awarness And
Competence
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Chapter one: Intercultural Awarness And Competence
Introduction
1. Definitions
1.1. Culture
1.2. Culture awareness
1.3. Intercultural awareness
1.4. Intercultural competence
2. Acculturation model (Schuman theory)
3. Cultural chock
4. The differences between Arab culture and English culture
5. The role of culture in EFL classroom
6. Integration of culture through the four skills
Conclusion
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Introduction
The theory of teaching culture to EFL learners has dominated the field of language
teaching and programs during the ninetieth century. the need for communication and using
the language appropriately have urged the applied linguists and language teachers to shift
of focus from teaching just grammar rules and vocabulary to teaching language function
and integrating culture for better communication .and for that The present section deals
with the concept of culture in the foreign language classes. It gives a definition of culture
and intercultural awareness and competence. We will also discuss the main differences
between Arabic and English culture, the role of culture in EFL classes, and then switches
to demonstrate the importance of integrating culture through the four skills, so as Byran’s,
1997 points that foreign language courses should not only teach students the language
needed to communicate but also make them encounter another culture and perceive it in its
own context. we can conclude from this , that teaching a language without teaching it’s
cultural features is a useless activity , and language user need some social and cultural
knowledge about the target language in order to be able to interpret it’s linguistic forms
and to use it in real life context . Culture integration is not only obligation of its effect on
the target language proficiency of the learners but also to raise their interest and develop a
set of attitudes towards others who are different linguistically and culturally.
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1. Definitions
1.1. Definition of Culture
Culture is a vague concept which covers different aspects of human life and that is why
it has become an area of interest and study for a wide range of disciplines. First the origin
of the word culture is from the Latin noun culture, from the verb caller, which means to
cultivate. Generally speaking culture is usually divided into two major categories culture
with capital ‘C’; which includes literature and arts and culture with small ‘c ‘ and this
involves attitudes, values, beliefs, and everyday lifestyles. (Richard and Schmidt, 2002:
138).
From an anthropological point of view Edward (1871:1) defines culture as: ‘ that
complex whole which includes knowledge, beliefs, art, morals, law, costume, and any
other capabilities, and habits acquired by man as member of society’. So according to this
definition we can sum up that culture is the habit and the abilities that the person acquires
from the society which he lives in. kramsch( 1998:10) perceives culture as: a common
system of standards for perceiving, believing, evaluating, and acting.’ these standards are
shared by individuals in a giving society like the family,so they learn these standards
through their interaction with each others, and then they will reinforce them through social
institution like the school or the workplace. These standards become naturalized, So that
the person retains them even after living his own community. While Geertz’s(1973:89)
definition was stresses the historical transmission of culture across the generation of a
given society as a system of shared concepts and meanings encoded in symbols
represented in the language used by people as an important means to communicate with
others. ‘ an historically transmitted pattern of meanings embodied in symbols a system of
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inherited conceptions expressed in a symbolic form by means of which man communicate
perpetuate and develop their knowledge about attitudes towards life’.
Nearly all the definitions cited above stress on the abstract feature of culture such as
values, norms, .etc but it involves concrete and visible as aspects as well. Which are known
as cultural artifacts such as music literature food, and architecture as Kroeber and
Kluckhonn’s(1963:132) highly cited definition sheds light on these elements and sets a
dividing line between explicit and implicit patterns explicit and implicit of culture.
‘’ culture consists of patterns explicit and implicit of and for behavior acquired and
transmitted by symbols constituting the distinctive achievement of human groups.
Including their embodiments in artifacts; the essential core of culture consists of traditional
( i.e., historically derived and selected ideas and especially their attached values; culture
systems may, on the one hand be considered as products of action on the other hand as
conditioning elements of further action.
1.2Cultural awareness
Cultural awareness is a new concept in foreign language teaching field as its name
suggests comprises two elements culture and awareness. This concept has some
involvement with some cognitive and behavioral changes. Which helps us to check one’s
ability to analyze, compare and hypotheses signifies his awareness. this cognitive change
refers to the understanding of one’s own culture beliefs and behaviors as well as those of
the target language culture and manifest them i.e. showing respect to that culture and
making a successful conversation with native where one’s behavior is expected and
accepted for other cultural group as Byran (1991:24) claimed in his model of teaching
culture: ‘ cultural awareness concerned with non-linguistic dimensions of culture and more
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focused on the question of change from mono-cultural to intercultural competence’.
moreover, cultural awareness focuses much more on the learners’ attitudes towards the
target culture and its people, or as what is referred to many scholars as:’ cultural
sensitivity’. Tomolin and Sempleski (1993:5) defined it as ‘the sensitivity to the impact of
culturally induced behavior on language use and communication’. Thus, the term refers to
learner’s knowledge about other cultures in one hand, and in the other hand to develop
their empathy, acceptance appreciation, of the FL culture and their own also to learn who
they can deal with cultural differences so that they can move from the ethnocentrism to
ethno-relativism as well.
To sum up, cultural awareness is a term brought from cognitive psychology and become
an important concept in the field of FLT as an outcome to use the target language
appropriately in different communicative contexts with no conflicts and misunderstanding
between people from different social group.
1.3-Intercultural awareness
Yassine (2006) claims that Intercultural awareness is the development of awareness and
understanding of one’s own and other cultures, intercultural awareness occurs when people
no longer assume that their culture’s way of looking at things is the best way or the only
way, and when people therefore begin to evaluate other perspectives. We adopt the
definition proposed by Korzilius and plank (2007) because it is more practical and
understandable when compared with other definitions they claim that intercultural
awareness is the ability to empathize and to dissenter. More specifically in a
communication situation it is the ability to take on the perspective of conversation partner
from another culture or with another nationality and of their cultural background and thus
to be able to understand and take into consideration interlocutor’s different perspectives
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simultaneously. So in general intercultural awareness is the willingness and ability to
realize the need for social changes within an international context as well as to understand
the increasing connectivity will be seen as a fluent process of development upon in
addition a efforts to improve the situation will need to be undertaken in order to ensure a
more globalized social community intercultural awareness is necessary in order to achieve
competence in intercultural relations.
1.4-Intercultural competence
There are many definition of intercultural competence since many terms are
interchangeably used to have the same meaning like : multiculturalism, cross-cultural
adaptation ,cross-cultural awareness and global citizenship (deardoff.2009:65) Intercultural
competence is important in improving the sensitivity and in being self-conscious and
presenting his values in an appropriate way intercultural competence is to a language
extent the ability to cope with one's own cultural background in interaction with
others” ( Beneke 2000:108 -109) quoted in Lazar 2001:19) .
First In foreign language teaching /learning intercultural competence has been
described as :
“The ability of a person to behave adequately in a flexible manner when
confronted
with actions attitudes and expectations of representatives of foreign cultures” (Meyer,
1991) quoted in Cortazzi and Jin ( 1999 :198)
“The ability to enter other cultures and communicate effectively and
appropriately,
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establish and maintain relationships ,and carry out tasks with people of these
Cultures” (Moran 2001:5 ,quoted in Lazar 2003:41) .
Whereas in literature we can considered intercultural competence as a concept
closely related to the individual’s career and the teaching /learning process where it is
generally described as the degree of acceptance of others’ cultures. one of the early
definitions of ICC was elaborated by (Hammer et al 1978:206 in Deardoff 2004:41) who
defines it as : “the ability to manage psychological stress ,the ability to communicate
effectively, and the ability to establish interpersonal relationships” in this definition
Harmer et al claims that the individual’s ability to control the psychological circumstances
in different cultural context which he/ she is not addicted to it, and succeed in making
conversation and interacting with others .
2-The acculturation theory
According to Brown (1980:129) acculturation is the process of becoming adapting to
new culture .Or according to Maxwell (2002) acculturation is the process whereby the
attitudes and/or behaviors of people from one culture are modified as a result of contact
with different cultures.
While according to Schuman in second language acquisition is defined as: “social and
psychological integration of the learner with the target language group.” So in Schuman
model he focuses on the social and psychological factors and how it influences the
language learning process. He believes that acquiring a new language is a part of the
process of acculturation .acculturation doesn‘t mean to loss aside your primary culture and
language it simply promotes the merging and understanding of cultures .in this two
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acculturation model two important factors play a role on acquisition : social distance and
psychological distance.
Social Distance: it has 8 influential factors .
Social Dominance : it is not the case that the more power one group has over the
other in society the greater the social distance but the more equal the power is it
diminishes the social distance
Integration Patter :less integration between 2 cultures =greater social distance but
more integration = less social distance that’s mean that less social distance is good
because social distance increases when the learners doesn’t interact with members
of the target culture but it decreases with more interaction
Cohesiveness: tight –knit group of learners more social distance .
Learners group less united = less social distance
AKA milling to make friends with native speakers
Size Factor State: when there is a bigger group of learners ,there is more chance
for social distance vs. a smaller group of learners is less likely to experience social
distance
Cultural Congruence State: very different culturally increased social distance
example: USA vs. Algeria and very similar culturally decreased social distance for
example USA vs. UK
Attitude factor: negative attitude towards members of target language culture =
increased social distance and positive attitude = decreased social distance
Intended length of residence state: learners intending to stay in the country for a
short period of time tend to have greater social distance and vice versa learners
intending to stay longer have a decrease in social distance .
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So to conclude we can say the greater the social distance the harder it is to learn the
language , but the smaller the social distance the learning situation will be more simple
and easier .
2-Psycological distance: we need to take into account also the 3 factors which
determine psychological distance:
Motivation: high motivation = more likely to learn the language.
Attitude: positive attitude = more likely to learn the language.
Cultural shock: less cultural shock= more likely to learn the language.
3-Cultural shock
According to Medical Definition of culture shock is a noun: a sense of confusion
and uncertainty sometimes with feelings of anxiety that may affect people exposed to an
alien culture or environment without adequate preparation it has been asserted previously
that in the different types of unfamiliar situations individuals become subjects of stress if
one is enable to manage and decrease his stress in other words does not know how to adapt
to new and unfamiliar situation.This stress may develop into “strong feelings of discomfort
fear or insecurity which a person may have when they enter another culture” (Richards and
Schmidt 2002:193) this feeling is generally known as culture shock. Culture shock is “the
traumatic experience that an individual may encounter when entering a different culture”
(Rogers and Sterinfatt, 1999:112). (Hofsted ,2002:22) defines culture shock as “ the
process of initial adjustment to an unfamiliar culture” He insists on the fact that though
culture shock is linked to new cultural setting (as its name indicates) culture shock may be
also used to refer to other situations like being in a new school, town, organization ,or
family. Culture shock is too probable in pedagogical settings mainly of foreign language
learning: as the learners get into a contact with a different language and thus with a
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different cultural norms and values. Alvin Toffler (1970) described culture shock as what
happens when one finds oneself “in a place where yes may mean no, fixed price is
negotiable, where to be kept waiting in an outer office is no cause for insult, where
laughter may signify anger” (cited in Rogers and Steifatt 1999:112) .the expression culture
shock was coined by an anthropologist; Cora Dubois, in 1951. It was first used by social
psychologists to describe individuals’ adjustment to new cultural settings, and got much
fame with the rise of intercultural communication .it is worth noting that culture shock is a
profoundly personal experience and is not the same for two persons or for the same person
during two different occasions (hofsted, 2002)
4- The differences between Arab culture and English culture
Learners now a day’s looked for cultural similarities and differences with the target
culture in comparison with their own culture. Comparison with one’s own culture and the
target culture draws on learners’ own knowledge, beliefs and values and leads to increased
cultural knowledge, understanding and acceptance, which provides a basis for successful
intercultural communication. Byran and Planet (2000:189) argue that “comparison makes
the strange, the other familiar, and makes the familiar, the self strange – and therefore
easier to reconsider” .With an understanding of their own culture as a starting point,
learners gradually dissenter from their own culture (Byram, 1989; Kramsch, 1993) and
develop necessary skills and knowledge to achieve dissenting (Liddicoat et al., 2003).
And from The Main Differences Between English and Arabic are:
Language Families
English and Arabic are from two different language families, Germanic and Semitic,
respectively. Because they descend from different language families, English and Arabic
16
have numerous differences in their individual grammars. The grammar of a language
includes its phonetic attributes, and there are many phonetic differences between the
English and Arabic languages
Alphabet
Arabic has 28 consonants (English 24) and 8 vowels/dipthongs (English 22). Also
short vowels are unimportant in Arabic, and indeed do not appear in writing. In addition
texts are read from right to left and written in a cursive script. No distinction is made
between upper and lower case, and the rules for punctuation are much looser than in
English.
Individual Sounds
Speech sounds in a language are not the same thing as the letters of a language’s
alphabet. The individual speech sounds of a language are called phonemes. There are 20
consonants in the English alphabet; however, there are 24 consonant phonemes.
Additionally, there are only six vowels in the English alphabet, when counting “y,” but
there are 22 vowel phonemes. When it comes to Arabic, there are 28 consonant phonemes
and eight vowel phonemes. With four more consonant phonemes and 14 fewer vowel
phonemes, Arabic is a consonant-heavy language compared to English.
Sound Combinations
The sound combinations found in Arabic are also quite different from those found in
English. Even though Arabic is a consonant-heavy language, English uses many more
consonant clusters to form words. Consonant clusters refer to phoneme groupings, not
alphabet letters. Some two-consonant clusters are found at the beginning of Arabic words,
17
but Arabic does not have any initial three-consonant clusters. English also has numerous
three- and four-consonant clusters found at the ends of words, whereas Arabic does not. To
compensate for this difference, Arabic speakers often insert a short vowel sound to break
up consonant clusters when speaking English. For example, they might say “nexist”
instead of “next.”
Word Stress
Word stress is very regular in Arabic. In English, word stress changes frequently and
can alter the meaning and lexical category of a word. For example, “'object” is a verb but
“ob’-ject” is a noun. In Arabic, a change in stress is never used to change the meaning of a
word. Instead, a word is pronounced with a different short vowel even when it is spelled
the same.
Sound Elision
The elision of sounds is a common phonetic feature of English that is not found in
Arabic. Elision is the dropping of a sound in the middle of a word, or between words, when
verbalizing a sentence or phrase. This often occurs with initial or final word vowels, or
sometimes with entire syllables. Some examples of elision are “cap'n” instead of “captain”
and “wanna” instead of “want to.” In Arabic, spelling is much more closely related to
sounds; and because of this, sounds are rarely omitted.
Grammar
Unlike the English language, the Arabic language differentiates between male and
female in pronouns, verbs, words, and sentence structure. Pronouns like “they” and “you”
have specifications for male and female, singular and plural.
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- Conjugation is different as compared to English. All verbs stem from a root verb (usually
the past form of that verb), and are conjugated depending on number and gender. The root
verbs are conjugated to make different meanings as well, if you know the root word, you
can almost always guess what the conjugated verb means.
- The grammar structure is very complex, but systematic and contains few exceptions.
When Arabic words are spelt, it’s almost always written as you hear it. In English, hearing
what you think is spelled “neybur” is spelled: “neighbor/neighbour”. There aren’t really
any silent letters except in few rare cases.
Writing
The Arabic language is written from right-to-left, opposite to that of the English writing
system. When written, Arabic is done in cursive, the letter form changes when occurring
alone, in the beginning, middle, or end of a word. Arabic contains its own set of numbers
(originally borrowed from India), but still used its original set of numbers as well (The
English numbers are borrowed from Arabic originally, i.e. 1, 2, 3…).
Religious Culture
Arab world is dominated by Islamic culture and religion, while English speaking world
is dominated by Christian culture and religion. This difference in culture has its effect on
the language.
5-The Importance of Culture in Communication
Language as means of communication makes it possible for individuals to interact
with each other in a society. Conversation or communications between people do not
take place in a vacuum, but at a particular time and place. Their behavior is indicated by
that particular situation Corder ( 1993:36 ) states, “ All our behavior has a conventional
19
element in it because it is learned in society and for that very reason, the form it takes
will be specific to the social group in which it is learned’’ .This means that communication
behavior is essentially a matter of convention, moreover the thing that makes
communication specific to a given culture and what proves effective is one culture may
be ineffective in another ( De Vito,2006: 40).
Yule (6991:190) highlights that, " In many ways , speech is a form of social
identity and used ,consciously, to indicate membership of different groups or different
speech communities ” Hall (2002) expresses a similar view in claiming that language is
used to indicate the individual identities, their interpersonal relationship and membership
in their social groups and communities. She goes further to argue that people who speak
the same language tend to share the same language conventions and any violation of these
conventions would result in communication breakdowns .(Seelye ,1997: 23) shares both
opinions, in fact he says, “ The way people speak indicates their sex , age , social
class , and place of residence , and often conveys information concerning their
religion, occupation, and interest” . In other words, since any linguistic communication
occurs in context, it must be appropriate to the context in which it is used.
De Vito (2006) claims that culture influences communications of all types. It
influences what to say and how to talk with friends and family in everyday conversations.
And those cultural differences exist across communication from the way of using eye
contact to the way to develop or dissolve a relationship.
6-Integration of culture through the 4 skills
In trying to develop learners’ overall communicative competence in the target language
through the four language skills, we should focus particularly on the intercultural
20
competence as being the approach less taken in the language class because we can consider
intercultural awareness as the fifth skills or as the key skill in learning the target language.
6.1. Cultural influence on vocabulary
Language is the carrier of culture and vocabulary is the basic ingredient of language.
The cultural difference will inevitably exhibited on the vocabulary, and the explanation of
vocabulary will also reflect the national or cultural difference. Take color as an example. In
Chinese, white, denoting a color, often associates with “pure, noble and moral goodness”
And the bride is dressed in white during the wedding in most western countries. In China
the bride must wear red in the traditional wedding, definitely not white. Because Red
means “happiness, good luck, flourishing and prosperous” in the future and people only
wear white in funerals when one’s family member or relative is dead. White in China, is
associated with “pale, weak and without vitality”. Thus, learning a language implies not
only the knowledge of its grammar rules and the denotative meanings of words but it
involves much more, such as the culture phenomena, the Express ,an International way of
life, habits and customs, history and everything that is contained of culture. In a word,
culture is a comprehensive composite with abundant implication, and each factor in it may
be exhibited on words. Learning vocabulary, while paying attention to cultural factors, is
vital and crucial.
6.2- Cultural influence on listening
In foreign language learning particularly in training their listening ability to understand
Better, learners often complain that although they spend lots of time in learning and
practice their ability of listening comprehension, their progress is not satisfactory. To
achieve this end, they do everything what they can. Some, for example, buy tape recorders
to facilitate their learning process in an attempt to improve their listening ability, and spend
several hours in it every day. But when they meet new listening materials, they still can’t
21
understand them. The reason for this may be various, but some of them have been
identified. Among them are their small vocabulary, weak grammar, and vague
pronunciation. But a relatively more important reason is that they lack the necessary
cultural background knowledge of the language they have learned. Listening is closely
related to the culture, politics and economy of the target language. In judging one’s
listening ability, we are in fact considering his comprehensive ability, including the
English level, intellectual range, analytical and imaginative ability, etc. We may have this
kind of experience: when we are listening to something where the events involved are
familiar to us, no matter what they are, e.g., news, reports, stories, lectures; or art, science,
sports or economy, it is relatively easier for us to understand. Even if there are some new
words in it, we can guess the meaning in the light of the context.
On the contrary, it will be difficult for us to understand, if the materials we are
listening to are closely related to the cultural background knowledge we are not familiar
with. Sometimes the materials may be easy and we can get the pronunciation of each word
from the tape, but the lack of necessary cultural background knowledge may hinder our
thorough understanding. If, for example, a student comes across a sentence like: Edward
Kennedy went downhill since Chappaquiddick. He won’t find it difficult to understand the
structure of the sentence. But if he doesn’t know that “Chappaquiddick” is the name of a
place in America, and is used in this sentence to refer to the traffic accident E. Kennedy
suffered, they cannot understand the real meaning. From the above explanation we can see
how important the role that culture plays in our listening ability: Culture is one of its
unalienable attachments. It can hinder our progress of listening, and it can also help it. So
we should notice the existence of culture and try to take advantage of it.
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6.3. Cultural influence on speaking
Just like listening, the ability of speaking is not a matter only concerned with
pronunciation or intonation. People need to read a lot to understand the cultural
background knowledge of the target language; only in this way they can communicate
successfully with the others. So in the training of oral English, teachers should emphasize
the practical use of the language, and try to use the materials which come from the daily
life. This can help people use proper sentences in proper context. Otherwise, even if one
may have been well trained in the linguistic aspect of the language, he may make mistakes
or have misunderstanding for the sake of lacking related cultural background knowledge.
For this, the experience of a young interpreter is a case in point: There is a young
interpreter whose pronunciation is standardized and natural. The first time he was
appointed to accompany a foreign guest, he tried to do everything he could to show that he
was enthusiastic, kind, considerate, and competent. He tried to be attentive as possible by
saying “You come this way.” “You sit here.” “Don’t go too fast.” “Follow me.” “Don’t be
late.” But the next day, he was shocked to know that the foreigner didn’t want to go with
him, because the foreigner thought that the young interpreter was not polite. In the
foreigner’s eyes, the interpreter is not helping him, but scolding him as scolding a child.
There is no problem in the interpreter’s English, but the lack of the cultural background
knowledge makes him in competent for this job. The story is simple, yet it says something
important. In the course of oral communication, speakers should pay much attention to the
context, i.e. what you are saying, to whom you are saying it, when and where you are
saying it, etc.
23
4.4. Cultural influence on reading
From the privious studies reading process is not simply the repetition and reappearance
of the language knowledge which the students already have, while it is a complicated
process under the stimulations of outside information to decode, recognize, analyze, judge,
and infer the material through the cognitive system (Larsen and Long, 2000:193,196),So it
is critical for us to catch the nonverbal information, such as: the background information
about humanism, history, geography, and the traditional local customs.Linguistic
knowledge can affect one’s reading, but cultural factors plays a more important role in the
reading process, most of the true and serious reading barriers are not only from the
language knowledge itself, but also caused by the cultural differences between the target
language and our mother tongue.
Cultural differences exist in background information, words, sentences, and text
structures, all of which are going to become potential barriers in reading matters.
Sometimes we find that the students may recognize and understand the meaning of each
word in the text, but they are still not so clear about the meaning of the whole sentences or
paragraphs. One of Churchill’s speeches during the Second World War is a very typical
example of this case. In his speech, he used his private secretary’s words to express
himself: “After dinner, when I was thinking on the croquet lawn with Mr. Churchill, he
reverted to this theme, and I asked whether for him, the arch anticommunist, this was not
bowing down in the house of Rimmon. Mr. Churchill replied, ‘Not at all. I have only one
purpose, the destruction of Hitler, and any life is much simplified thereby. If Hitler invaded
Hell, I would make at least a favorable reference to the devil in the House of Commons. In
the above paragraph, Churchill quoted three religious allusions: the first one is “bow down
in the house of Rimmon.” which comes from the “Bible”. That means, “doing things
against one’s willingness”; the second one is “Hell”; and the third one is “the devil”. If we
24
don’t know the three allusions, we can’t fully understand that Churchill likened
Communist USSR to the “Hell” and the Soviet Communist to the “devil”. In the use of the
religious allusions in this paragraph, Mr. Churchill not only showed his anticommunist
stand, but also avoided annoying the Soviet Union Communist directly.
So the real meaning of this paragraph is that his support to the USSR is for the
salvation of the human beings, and it does not mean that he has changed his anticommunist
stand. So we can see that the knowledge of language itself cannot solve all the problems in
reading. People’s works are always related with the culture of their nations, especially
related allusions or usage, which we are not familiar with. That reminds us that we should
pay attention to the cultural influence in reading.
Conclusion
In this chapter we conclude that living in today’s multicultural world, language learners
need to develop not only their linguistic competence but also their intercultural
communicative competence to overcome both linguistic and cultural barriers that they may
encounter in interaction with people from other cultures. And that is why we should
concentrate on developing the cultural components by engaging learners in cognitive,
behavioral and affective aspects of culture learning through a variety of interactive tasks
and activities in which they develop their cultural knowledge, skills and attitudes required
for effective communication and interaction with people from other cultures. The shift
from traditional method of learning the linguistic competence to the modern method which
focuses on intercultural communicative competence is a challenge that EFL teachers and
learners have to deal with to meet the goals of foreign language education in our modern
world.
25
Chapter two
Linguistic andCommunicative
Competence
26
Chapter two: linguistics and communicative competence
Introduction
2.1 Definition of Linguistic Competence
2.2 Definition of Communicative Competence
2.2.1 Communicative competence models
2.3 Discourse Devices Reflecting Target Culture
2.3.1. Collocations
2.3.2. Proverbs
2.3.3. Idioms
2.4. Barriers of Intercultural Communication
2.5. Reasons for the Problems
Conclusion
27
Introduction
Most of foreign language learners (EFL learners) do not know how to say words in
English. Because for them they can demonstrate and communicate effectively by using
several ways to catch up the near message they want to say, these ways give them the
opportunity in order to enrich their background of knowledge and vocabularies such as:
using hands, imitating sounds and inventing new words. All of these actions are regarded
as the so called the “Linguistic and Communicative competence”
The following chapter (Chapter two) ,we are going to discover the different notions
of the two key terms “linguistic ” and “communicative competence ”, in addition, to some
others definitions and views that are still exist as the real factor to illustrate the exact
meaning of communicative competence . Moreover, we will attempt to explore the
different types of Discourse Devices Reflecting Target Culture and their classification
depends on their use, furthermore. Also we are going to focus on learners’ communicative
competence. Most of them consider that language learning is a matter of developing
grammatical competence and neglect the fact that it is important to communicate in
English in different situations. To highlight this idea, we try to focus on the most Discourse
Devices which reflect the Target Culture and what are the main barriers that face student or
better Intercultural Communication.
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2.1 Definition of Linguistic Competence
Linguistic competence is the unconscious knowledge of grammar which allows a
speaker to use and understand a language . As used by Noam Chomsky and other linguists,
linguistic competence is not an evaluative term. Rather, it refers to the innate linguistic
knowledge that allows a person to match sounds and meanings.ie it include knowledge of
grammar and vocabulary at a sentence level it involves constructing well-formed
sentences according to a certain syntactic ,semantic, morphological and phonological rules.
Linguistic Competence defines also as a system of rules that governs an individual’s
implied understanding of what is acceptable and what is not in the language they speak.
The concept, introduced by the linguist Noam Chomsky in 1965, was intended to address
certain assumptions about language, especially in structuralism linguistics, where the idea
of an unconscious system had been extensively elaborated and schematized.
Competence can be regarded as a revision of the idea of the language system. The
empirical and formal realization of competence would be performance, which thus
corresponds to diverse structuralism notions of parole, utterance, event, process, etc.
Chomsky argues that the unconscious system of linguistic relations, which Ferdinand de
Saussure named langue, is often mistakenly associated with knowledge or ability (or
know-how). Chomsky is concerned to establish a science that would study what he calls
“the language faculty”, in analogy with other mental faculties like logic, which as a kind of
intuitive reasoning power requires no accumulation of facts or skills in order to develop.
Grammatical knowledge too seems to be present and fully functional in speakers fluent in
any language. So competence in Chomsky’s sense implies neither an accumulated store of
knowledge nor an ability or skill. He rejects Saussure’s langue as “merely a systematic
inventory of items”, and instead returns to a rationalist model of underlying competence
29
regarded as “a system of generative processes”. This has the advantage of explaining
plausibly events of linguistic innovation in unpredictable situations, as well as pertinence
of expression and understanding in particular contexts. This faculty seems to be absent in
animals and (so far) in machines that can nonetheless be taught or programmed to use
signs in imitative or predetermined ways.
In the field of language learning and teaching, “Linguistic competence may be
thought of as the learner’s knowledge of the structures and vocabulary of the language and
his ability to produce and comprehend well-formed sentences in the language”.
(Ficher.1984). In this sense the student’s participation in the classroom is described by
fisher as rule-governed behavior in which his attention is focused on the application of
rules to derive correct grammatical forms.
2.2 Definition of Communicative Competence
Moreover CC is a term coined by the anthropological linguist Dell Hymes (1972),
he put forward this notion in response to the theories of the formal linguist Noam Chomsky
(Chomsky, 1957; 1965), who focused on linguistic competence and claimed that any
consideration of social factors was outside the domain of linguistics. Hymes (1972) argued
that in addition to linguistic competence (the rules for describing sound systems and for
combining sounds into morphemes and morphemes into sentences), one also needed
notions of sociolinguistic competence (the rules for using language appropriately in
context) to account for language acquisition and language use. He also argued that
language structure and its acquisition were not context-free, while Chomsky had claimed
they were (i.e. that an innate language mechanism was sufficient to account for first
language acquisition).
30
Communicative competence refers a person’s unconscious knowledge of rules
governing the appropriate use of the language in social situation .It is usually contrasted
with linguistic competence .the person’s unconscious knowledge of the formal patterning
of language. as hall (2002) points out that communicative competence is the knowledge
and ability one needs to understand and use linguistics resources in ways that are
structurally well formed socially and contextually appropriate and culturally feasible in
communicative contexts constitutive of different groups and communities of which one is a
member it refers also to the ability to use the language correctly and appropriately to
accomplish communication goals. The desired outcome of the language learning process is
the ability to communicate competently, not the ability to use the language exactly as a
native speaker does.
2.2.1. Communicative competence models
The term communicative competence was coined by Hymes (1972), who defined it
as the knowledge of both rules of grammar and rules of language use appropriate to a given
context. His work clearly demonstrated a shift of emphasis among linguists, away from the
study of language as a system in isolation, a focus seen in the work of Chomsky (1965),
towards the study of language as communication. He conceptualization of communicative
competence has been further developed by researchers such as Canale and Swain (1980)
and Canale (1983), Bachman (1990) and Celce-Murcia et al. (1995), who attempted to
define the specific components of the construct of communicative competence
The widely cited model by Canale and Swain (1980), later expanded by Canale
(1983) this includes four competencies under the heading of communicative competence
which are:
Grammatical Competence (i.e. knowledge of the language code)
31
Sociolinguistic Competence (i.e. knowledge of the sociocultural rules of use in a
particular context)
Strategic Competence (i.e. knowledge of how to use communication strategies to
handle breakdowns in communication)
Discourse Competence (i.e. knowledge of achieving coherence and cohesion in a
spoken or written text).
Pragmatic competence is essentially included in this model under sociolinguistic
competence, which Canale and Swain (1980: 30) described as ‘sociocultural rules of use’.
However, it was not until Bachman that pragmatic competence came to be regarded as one
of the main components of communicative competence.
Communicative Competence
Grammatical Sociolinguistic Strategic Discourse
Competence Competence Competence Competence
Fifure. 01 Canal and Swain’s Model (1980)
Bachman’s (1990) Model of Communicative Competence which included three
elements namely language competence, strategic competence and physiological
mechanisms. Language competence comprises two further components: organizational and
pragmatic competence. On the one hand, organizational competence consists of
grammatical and textual competence, thereby paralleling Canale’s (1983) discourse
32
competence. On the other hand, pragmatic competence consists of illocutionary
competence and sociolinguistic competence, the former referring to knowledge of speech
acts and language functions and the latter referring to the knowledge of how to use
language functions appropriately in a given context. This distinction between these two
sub-competencies echoes Leech’s (1983: 10-11) and Thomas’s (1983: 99) division of
pragmatics into pragmalinguistics, which has been defined as ‘the particular resources
which a given language provides for conveying particular illocutions’, and
sociopragmatics, which has been defined as ‘the sociological interface of pragmatics’.
Apart from language competence, the model also includes strategic competence and
physiological mechanisms. The former refers to the mental capacity to implement language
competence appropriately in the situation in which communication takes place, whereas
the latter refers to the neurological and psychological processes that are involved in
language use. The most notable advance on Canale’s (1983) model is that Bachman’s
(1990) model identifies pragmatic competence as a main component of the construct of
communicative competence that is coordinated with grammatical and textual competence
rather than being subordinated to it and interacting with the organisational competence in
many ways (Kasper, 1997).
Celce-Murcia et al. (1995)
Communicative competence divided into linguistic, sociocultural, strategic,
discourse and actional competencies. In analysing these components they start with the
core, that is to say, discourse competence, which concerns the selection and sequencing of
sentences to achieve a unified spoken or written text. This competence is placed in a
position where linguistic, sociocultural and actional competencies shape discourse
competence, which in turn, also shapes each of the three components. Linguistic
competence entails the basic elements of communication, such as sentence patterns,
33
morphological inflections, phonological and orthographic systems, as well as lexical
resources. Sociocultural competence refers to the speaker’s knowledge of how to express
appropriate messages within the social and cultural context of communication in which
they are produced. Actional competence involves the understanding of the speakers’
communicative intent by performing and interpreting speech act sets. Finally, these four
components are influenced by the last one, strategic competence, which is concerned with
the knowledge of communication strategies and how to use them. This model thus provides
a clear picture of the interrelationship among all the components. However, with regard to
the function they assign to strategic competence, Usó-Juan and Martínez-Flor (2006) claim
that this competence should be placed at the same level as the rest of the competencies,
since its goal is that of building discourse competence while allowing communicative
ability to develop in a parallel way to the other components.
Usó-Juan and Martínez-Flor’s (2006a): In this current model of communicative
competence whose main aim is to show how the four language skills serve to build
discourse competence for communicative purposes, while also highlights the importance of
the intercultural component given the increasing recognition that is nowadays associated to
cultural aspects. In the following section, this model of communicative competence is
briefly summarized.
2.3. Discourse Devices Reflecting Target Culture
2.3.1. Idioms
An idiom is a combination of words in which the meaning is opaque, i.e., it is not related to
the meaning of the individual words. Idioms pose many difficulties in translation because
they are culture-specific and differ from language to language and from culture to culture.
Here are some examples of idioms:
34
-to rub someone the wrong way means to irritate someone
-by the skin of your teeth means that something was successful, but only just barely. “She
passed the test by the skin of her teeth” means she almost didn’t pass.
2.3.2. A proverb
Is a short popular saying, often metaphorical, which expresses a basic truth or
practical precept, based on common sense or cultural experience. Which gives advice
about how people should behave or that expresses a belief that is generally thought to be
true.
Here are some examples:
Don’t cry over spilled milk.
Those who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.
Honesty is the best policy.
A stitch in time saves nine.
Idioms and proverbs often have a meaning that is greater than the meaning of the
individual words put together, but in a different way than idioms. The literal
meaning of an idiom usually doesn’t make sense, and idioms can be almost
impossible to understand unless you have learned or heard them before.
The literal meaning of a proverb such as “Don’t cry over spilled milk” does makes
sense on its own, but it’s not until you apply this meaning to a broader set of situations that
you understand the real point of the proverb. For example, “Don’t cry over spilled milk”
means “Don’t get upset over something that has already been done. It’s too late to worry
about it now, just get on with your life.”
35
2.3.3. Collocations
Collocations are two or more words that often co–occur in different environments.
Collocations create many difficulties in translation because the meaning of the word
changes when it combines with other words. Thus, they cannot be translated on word for
word basis. So, lexical problems of translation are therefore critical to any SL and TL
text. Without solving them, we cannot translate effectively. However, they are not enough
to cover all the important problems of translation.
Types of Collocation There are several different types of collocation made from
combinations of verb, noun, adjective etc. Some of the most common types are:
Adverb + Adjective: completely satisfied (NOT downright satisfied)
Adjective + Noun: excruciating pain (NOT excruciating joy)
Noun + Noun: a surge of anger (NOT a rush of anger)
Noun + Verb: lions roar (NOT lions shout)
Verb + Noun: commit suicide (NOT undertake suicide)
Verb + Expression With Preposition: burst into tears (NOT blow up in tears)
Verb + Adverb: wave frantically (NOT wave feverishly)
2.4. Barriers of Intercultural Communication
According to chick (1996:332) the reason for intercultural miscommunication is
sociolinguistic transfer. Sociolinguist transfer is the use of one’s rules of speaking when
using a second or FL language .for example complements differs across countries and
cultures the frequency of complimenting may lead to miscommunication and for this
Hofstede (2002) summarized the major barriers of intercultural understanding in five
elements.
36
1-language
Language is basically a means for communicating with others but a good language user
is not the one who knows and can understand a language number of words ,nor the one that
masters grammatical rules; language is more than lexis and syntax, it involves in addition
to knowing what to say, knowing when, where, how, and why to say it .
2-non-verbal communication
In verbal communication, be it oral or written, ideas, beliefs and feelings are
transmitted via words. In non-verbal communication people also communicate not through
words but, via non-linguistic elements like gestures, facial expressions, wave of the hand,
and body postures…etc. for that reason, non-verbal communication is generally defined as
‘’ all types of communication that take place without words. It includes a very wide range
of communication behavior; everything from a nod; to the wave of a hand, to wearing a
new suit, to arriving five minutes early for an appointment’’ (Rogers & Steinfatt,
1999:162)
3- Stereo types
Stereotypes are generalizations about some group of people that oversimplify their
culture. Such generalizations thwart correct perception of the qualities of people who are
different from us. When we stereotype we classify people on the basis of our previous
experiences ( Hofstede, 2002. Many stereotypes are completely incorrect and others
greatly distort reality. We tend to see others not as they actually but as we want or expect
to see them, as we have been socialized to perceive them. Accordingly, it may be true to
assume that stereotypes are socially and culturally formed. For instance, Asians have a gift
for mathematics and science, Germans build the finest automobiles, and the French have
37
the best chefs, and are very romantic, the Italians have the finest opera singers. Stereotypes
often lead to prejudice.
4- Evaluation
It is the tendency to evaluate the behavior of people from other cultures as good or
bad. Right or wrong, and make a judgment based on our own cultural preconceptions. We
prejudge others without full comprehension or examination of their behavior. Prejudice is a
groundless attitude (most often a negative attitude) toward a foreigner built on a
comparison with one’s group. One result of prejudice is discrimination; ‘’ the process of
treating individuals unequally on the basis of their ethnicity, gender, age, sexual
orientation, or other characteristics’’ (Rogers and Steinfatt, 1999:56 )
An important source for pre judgment is being ethnocentric .ethnocentrisms is the
belief that one’s cultural costumes, value norms are superior to others’. The notions notion
of ethnocentrism comes from two Greek words ( ethno; people or nation ,and ketron;
center it signifies being centered on one’s cultural group and judging other cultures
according to one’s cultural values ethnocentrism is an important impediment to effective
intercultural communication because it prevents an objective understanding of unlike
others all the elements of one’s culture ,customs values, religious beliefs ,become source of
pride ,respect and admiration , while the elements of an out group( a fag, for
example)become objects of disrespect and hatred hence strangers are viewed as inferior
and perhaps morally wrong to avoid prejudice Hofstede (2002) advises people involved in
any kind of intercultural interaction to postpone their interpretations and evaluation of
others’ behavior till they know more about these cultural values.
38
5- Stress
Most people often feel bothered when placed in new situation ( a new family ,school
or town);accordingly being in an unfamiliar setting ,(in a foreign country for example,
though intercultural contact may take place in one’s original country)with people having a
dissimilar language ,norms, values and attitudes makes intercultural interactions one of the
stressful experiences that a person may pass through. ‘like every other unfamiliar
experience, intercultural contact is likely to involve some stress” if the person fails to
manage his stress , he would be subject to a more critical psychological state, commonly
known as culture shock.
Culture shock
It has been asserted previously that in the different types of unfamiliar situations,
individuals become subjects of stress, if one is unable to manage and decrease his stress, in
other words does not know how to adopt to new and unfamiliar situation, this stress may
develop into “strong feelings of discomfort, fear, or insecurity which a person may have
when they enter another culture”. (Richards&schimidtn2002:139) these feelings are
generally known as cultural shock. Culture shock is “the traumatic experience that an
individual may encounter when entering a different culture “(Rogers and Steinfatt,
1999:212)
This may cause some problems by students’ lack of intercultural awareness like
Miscommunication: for example when responding other’s “Thank you” after offering
help, some students will more naturally say “It’s my duty.” or “It’s what I should do.”
That is really affected by the tradition of this people , while the native speaker feels
upset as s/he thinks you are fulfilling a task. The proper expression may be “It’s my
39
pleasure.” or just simple “My pleasure”. Apparently the English sentences used by the
students here were all grammatically correct but they caused some misunderstandings
and upset. We can draw this conclusion: it is quiet necessary for those who learn a
foreign language to have some knowledge about a particular culture and pay due
attention to the different features between Arab and western cultures.
Adaptation or Borrowing (Arabic words in English accent or structure)
Many students translate English sentences and communicate with each other with
the following structure: English words + Algerian speaking way + Algerian cultural
background. They beset English to their native culture. Thus, the misunderstanding and
offend would take place, and that also leads to Algerian/English i.e. English in
Algerian style .Algerian/English is an abnormal language phenomenon, which is often
used by Algerian EFL students and learners. This leads them to make some errors.
These errors can be divided into four kinds, that is,
a) Confusing the meaning of words
b) Using flowery of cliché words
c) Omitting indispensable words
d) Wrong collocation.
2.5. Reasons for the Problems
There are several reasons for the problems in students cultural awareness mentioned
above. They are as follows:
Different Concepts of Values:
From the history, Algeria and western countries went through different historical
periods and formed different concepts of values. Nevertheless, in western cultures
religions tend to be polytheistic the concept of God and therefore project the cultural
40
features of the culture that thinks of God, whereas in Arabs tradition religions are
monotheistic and humanized.
Different Thinking Patterns: The western thinking pattern is a direct one, while
the Algerian one is indirect. When westerners talk about something or write
something, they express themselves directly instead of indirectly. In English, the
topic sentence most often occurs at or near the beginning of each paragraph.
However, in Algerian culture, the topic sentence is often the last sentence of every
paragraph and paragraphs are structured so that we build towards the argumentative
point. For example, in English essays, they express their opinions firstly and then
focus on it; on the contrary, Algerian people often try to create an artistic
conception during their conversation with others. The Algerian thinking pattern
affects Algerian English learners greatly; which leads to the barrier of intercultural
communication.
More often than not, Algerian people do not go into the main point directly
and they try to create a harmonious atmosphere by beating about the bush, in order
to make the other side know what they mean gradually. Westerners do not have this
habit, so they often do not understand what foreigners really want to say, because
they regard communication as a process of ideas exchanging and information
exchanging, paying more attention to show their own ideas, so they ask and answer
questions directly.
41
Conclusion
This chapter highlights the notion of communicative competence and its perspective in
learning a new language. It is important to look for learners‟ needs in a foreign language
and to seek for the best ways of the learning process. The communicative approach shifts
teachers‟ and learners‟ attention to the reality of language learning; from learning the
grammatical competence to learning the communicative competence. It stresses the
importance of operating a real situation of language use and aims at making learners able
to communicate in a foreign language .The traditional objectives and contents are now
replaced by ones that are essentially communicative in nature. Communicative
methodologies stress the active nature of the learning process and the involvement of the
learner in negotiating meaning. Students in the classroom, use the target language in
different social contexts to develop their communicative competence through interaction
with their peers.
42
Chapter three
Filedwork
43
Chapter 3: Methodology and Findings of the Field Work
Introduction
3.1 Methodology
3.2 Aim of the Questionnaires
3.3 Description of the Questionnaires
3.3.1 Description of Teachers` Questionnaires
3.3.2 Description of Students` Questionnaires
3.4 Data Analysis
3.4.1 Analysis of Students` Questionnaires
3.4.2 Analysis of Teachers` Questionnaires
3.5 Results of the Questionnaires
3.6 Corpus Analysis
3.6.1 Description of the Process
3.6.2 Results of the Corpus Analysis
3.7 Discussion of Research Findings
3.8 Discussion of Research Hypothesis
3.9 Implications for Teachers and Students
3.10 Suggestions for Further Studies
Conclusion
General Conclusion
44
Introduction
The following chapter is designed to analyze the results obtained through the
effectiveness of intercultural awareness for developing the EFL learners’ communicative
competence. Our aims from conducting this study are to confirm if our hypothesis is true
or false. Since students are main variables of this study, their views and opinions are very
important to test the stated hypothesis. Then the most appropriate methodological tool that
has been used in this study is through giving questionnaires to students. While, we have
chosen to work on third year LMD students of the English division at Biskra University of
the academic year2015/2016 and to evaluate their application of intercultural awareness in
their classes. in addition in order to identify the third year LMD students’ problems in
communication, mainly connected to the lack of the cultural knowledge, and to check their
attitudes and perceptions of the subject under study, the students’ questionnaire is designed
to provide us with the needed data.
3.1. Description of students’ questionnaire
An introducing paragraph precedes the 19 items. All items are spread out of the
sections. Each one is aimed to provide us with a specific set of information but with a
relative aim. The following is a brief description of each section:
Section one: Personal information (1 to 5)
It contains three items designed to obtain general information about the students’ age,
sex, if English was their first choice and finally their feeling while studying it now.
45
Section two: Students’ intercultural awareness and communicative
competence (6 to 19)
This second section which consists 13 questions is meant to provide us with students’
general opinions and evaluations of their personal cultural knowledge about the target
language and to what extent it influences their communicative competence. The attempt
behind addressing these questions in this section is to test if communicative competence
will be mentioned or not so to confirm or reject our hypothesis concerning its importance
without directing the participants’ opinions. Furthermore, this section contains questions
about the importance of integrating culture in learning the language.
3.2 The administration of the questionnaire
The questionnaire was administered to 30 students of third year LMD with the presence
of their teacher. When piloting the questionnaire, problems completely disappeared when
we introduced it especially when we insisted on the fact that they are free in expressing
their opinions and points of views, and all what will be said will remain anonymous. To
avoid misunderstanding or misinterpretation, we provided them only with the literal
meaning of the items to not influence them.
3.3 Data analyses
Data will be treated in tables, and information will be presented and analyzed according to
the order of items in the questionnaire. All of the 30 students answered the questionnaire,
so all of the 30 copies will be taken into consideration.
46
Section one: (01 05)
Item 01: Age
Age number percentage
21 05 16.67%
22 12 40%
23 07 23.33%
24 01 3.33%
25 04 13.33%
No answer 01 3.33%
TOTAL 30 100%
Table n° 1: Students’ age
Figure n° 1: Students’ age
According to table n°1, students’ age varies between 21 to 25 years. This reflects a great
interest to study the English language by different categories of people.
Item 02: Gender
Gender number percentage
Male 07 23.33%
Female 23 76.67%
Total 30 100%
Table n°2: Students’ gender
16,67%
40% 23,33%
3,33%
13,33% 3,33%
21
22
23
24
25
No answer
47
Figure n°2: Students’ gender
It is clear from the above table that the leading majority is females with 23(76.67%),
which largely exceeds males’ number representing 07 (only).
Item 03: whether studying English at the university was their first choice
Options Number Percentage
Yes 22 73.33%
No 8 26.67%
Total 30 100%
Table n°3: Students’ choice
Figure n°3: Students’ choice
From the obtained results, it is clear that the majority of students representing 22
(73.33%), studying English was their first choice at the university and only 8 (26.67)
students it was not their first choice ie they have other interest. This fact considerably
23,33%
76,67%
Male
Female
73,33%
26,67%
Yes
No
48
affects students’ language proficiency, if we consider that English language is favorable
for most English students.
Item 4: if not ,how do you feel now that you are studying it ?
Options Numbers Percentage
Bored 0 0%
Motivated 08 100%
Indifferent 0 0%
Total 30 100%
Table n°4: students’ feeling while studying English
Figure n°4: Students’ feeling while studying English
From the obtained results that 8(100%) of students whose their English stream was not
their first choice but they feel motivated to study it no.
Section two: (06 19)
Item 06: do you think that you can run a conversation with a native speaker?
Options Numbers Percentage
Yes 16 53.33%
No 14 46.67%
Total 30 100%
Table n°5: Students ability in communication with native speakers
0%
100%
0%
Bored
Motivated
Indiffrent
49
Figure n°5: Students ability in communication with native speakers
According to table n°5, 16(53.33)out of 30 claim that they can run a conversation with
native speakers without any difficulties whereas 14 (46.67%) say they have some
difficulties in using the language with native speakers.
Item 6.1: if no ,is it because
Options Numbers Percentage
a-Linguistic problem 02 14.29%
b-Lack of cultural
knowledge
05 35.71%
c-Inability to use linguistic
expression appropriately
04 28.58%
d-Other factors
(psychological /self
confidence , …..)
01 7.14%
More than one choice 18 60%
Total 30 100%
Table n°6/: Students’ results lack of communication
Figure n°6/: Students’ results lack of communication
53,33%
46,67% Yes
No
14,29%
35,71%
28,58%
70,00%
60%
a-Linguistic problem
b-Lack of cultural knowledge
c-Inability to use linguistic expression appropriately d-Other factors (psychological /self confidence , …..) More than one choince
50
It is clear from the above table that the major obstacle facing the learners is lack of the
cultural knowledge of the target language with a percentage of 35. 71 % which enable
them to communicate effectively then it comes their inability of use it s linguistic
expression appropriately in percentage of 28.58%then 14.29% for the linguistic problem
and finally 07.14% for Other factors (psychological /self confidence , ect…..) and only 2
students who choice linguistic problem and their inability of expressing themselves
appropriately and some psychological factors
Item07: How do you evaluate your linguistic competence?
Possibilities Number Percentage
Very satisfying 00 00%
Satisfying 22 73.33%
Not satisfying 08 26.67%
Total 30 100%
Table n°7: Students’ personal evaluation of their linguistic competence
Figure n°7: Students’ personal evaluation of their linguistic competence
From the table above shows 22(73.33%) out of 30 claim that they are satisfied by their
linguistic competence, unlike 8(26.67%) who state that they are not satisfied; whereas no
student seems very satisfied by his/her linguistic competence.
0%
73,33%
26,67%
Very satisfying
Satisfying
Not satisfying
51
Item08: Do you think that the linguistic competence is enough for the learner to master the
foreign language?
Possibilities Number Percentage
Yes 10 33.33%
No 19 63.33%
No answer 01 3.33%
Total 30 100%
Table n°8: Students’ perception of the importance of the linguistic competence
Figure n°8: Students’ perception of the importance of the linguistic competence
Table above shows 19 ( 63.33%) of students assume that linguistic competence is not
enough for the learner to master the foreign language, unlike 10 students (10%) who
assume the opposite.
-Students’ justification
The 19 (63.33%) students who said that the linguistic competence is not enough to master
the language justified their answers claiming that students need other abilities and
competences to master the language. Others assumed that linguistic competence goes hand
in hand with performance, so the student needs performance to master the foreign
33,33%
63,33% Yes
No
52
language. The students explained that the learner needs communicative competence to
master the language because for them the learner must use that linguistic knowledge in
communicative situations. For those who said that linguistic competence is enough for the
learner to master the language explained that anyone who can master the linguistic aspect
is able to master the foreign language .
Item09: Do you think that communication is neglected in the classroom?
Possibilities Number Percentage
Yes 21 70%
No 9 30%
No answer 00 00%
Total 30 100%
Table n°9: Students’ opinion about being communication neglected in the classroom
Figure n°9: Students’ opinion about being communication neglected in the classroom
From what the table above shows 21 students (70%) think that communication is
neglected in the classroom, whereas 09 (30) think the opposite.
Students’ justification
Students who claimed that communication is neglected explained their choice by saying
that it is the teachers’ fault because teachers’ major concern is to finish the lesson for the
70%
30%
Yes
No
53
short time of the session, they talk all the time without giving the opportunity to students to
speak, consequently, the students become receptive rather than productive. The absence of
motivation is another reason for being communication neglected in the classroom. For
those who claimed the opposite, they justified their answer by saying that teachers do their
best to achieve the goal of the course which is giving the opportunity to students to
communicate.
Item10: During performing communicative tasks, do your teachers focus on
Possibilities Number Percentage
Correcting grammar
mistakes
04 13.33%
Meaning of the
communication
12 40%
Both of them 14 46.67%
Total 30 100%
Table n°10: The major focus of teachers while performing communicative tasks
Figure n°10: The major focus of teachers while performing communicative tasks
From the table, we can see that 04 (13.33%) students say that their teachers focus on
correcting grammar mistakes, whereas 12 (40%) of students see that their teachers focus on
13,33%
40%
46,67% Correcting grammar mistakes
Meaning of the communication
Both of them
54
the meaning of communication. 14(46.67%) of students state that their teachers focus on
both correcting grammar mistakes and meaning of communication.
Item11: How do you evaluate your competence in communication during performing
communicative tasks?
Possibilities Number Percentage
Very satisfying 01 3.33%
Satisfying 18 60%
Poorly satisfying 10 33.33%
Not satisfying 01 3.33%
Total 30 100%
Table n°11: Students’ personal evaluation of their competence in communication
Figure n°11: Students’ personal evaluation of their competence in communication
The table above shows that 18 students (60%) out of 30 consider their communicative
competence as satisfying, followed by 10 students (33.33%), who seem poorly satisfied
with their level of communicative competence. Whereas only 01 student (03.33%) out of
30 who thinks that his/her competence is very satisfying. And another one who think that
he is not satisfying on his communicative competence .
3,33%
60%
33,33%
3,33%
Very satisfying
Satisfying
Poorly satisfying
Not satisfying
55
-If poorly satisfying or not satisfying, it is because:
possibilities number percentage
Psychological problems 04 13.33%
Fear of the teacher’s
judgment
02 6.67%
Lack of self confidence 01 3.33%
Lack of vocabulary 03 10%
Lack of exposure to
authentic materials
00 00%
Total 30 100%
Table n°12: Students’ reasons of their poor competence in communication
Figure n°12: Students’ reasons of their poor competence in communication
According to the results presented in table n°12, variant reasons lay behind their poor
competence in communication. 04students (13.33%) state that their poor ability is due to
the psychological problems that are related to shyness, fear of the audience, faltering or
hesitating etc.02 students (06.67%) state that they have fear of the teacher’s judgments. 1
students (03.33%) say that they have a lack of self-confidence while performing
communicative tasks. Whereas 03students (10%) claims that his/her inability is due to the
lack of vocabulary and no one state that they are not competent enough because of the lack
of exposure to authentic materials which is the first and fundamental tool to improve their
competence.
13,33%
6,67%
3,33%
10% Psychological problems
Fear of the teacher’s judgment
Lack of self confidence
Lack of exposure to authentic materials
56
Item13: Which of the following is your favorite communicative task?
Possibilities Number percentage
Performing role plays, storytelling
etc.
14 46.67
Talking with native speakers
through internet outside the class
10 33.33
Doing a survey or research paper
and discussing it with classmates
01 3.33
Interacting with the teacher and
classmates about personal topics
04 13.33
Total 30
100%
Table n°13: Students’ favorite communicative task
Figure n°13: Students’ favorite communicative task
From the results presented in table n°13, we can see that students are very interested in
doing communicative tasks. The favorite activity for 14 students (46.67%) state that they
like to perform role plays, storytelling, games etc. Because they are funnier and amusing. .
46,67%
33,33%
3,33% 13,33%
Performing role plays, storytelling etc.
Talking with native speakers through internet outside the class
Doing a survey or research paper and discussing it with classmates
Interacting with the teacher and classmates about personal topics
57
Whereas 10 students (33.33%) this might be easier and more natural way to acquire and
develop a communicative competence .Doing a survey or a research paper and discussing
it with classmates is the favorite task only for 01 (03.33%)student.04 students (13.33%) out
of 30 claim that the best activity for them is to interact with the teacher and classmates
about personal topics, since they share opinions and attitudes towards topics of mutual or
even opposite interest. 01 students 03.33% did not provide their answer, the reason might
be their carelessness about activities that require participation in the class.
Item 14: In your opinion, culture of the foreign language in not integrated enough in the
classroom.
Possibilities Number Percentage
Yes 20 66.67%
No 09 30%
No answers 01 3.33%
Total 30 100%
Table n°14: Students’ opinion about the integration of culture in the classroom
Figure n°14: Students’ opinion about the integration of culture in the classroom
From the table n°14 the vast majority of students (66.67%) state that culture of the FL is
not integrated enough in the classroom and they justify their answers that they already have
66,67%
30%
3,33%
Yes
No
No answers
58
a module and they have a competent teachers to give them the necessary knowledge about
the target language culture , and 09 students (30%) state that culture is integrated in the
classroom because the teacher deal with Algerian cultural context so that there is no need
to know the forging culture. They claim also that integrating culture is not important for
him/her because they are not interested in the FL culture, and their goal in learning English
is to be better only in the grammatical aspect.
Item15: Do you think that integrating culture in the classroom is important?
Possibilities Numbers Percentage
Yes 30 100%
No 0 00%
Total 30 100%
Table n°15: Students’ opinion about the importance of integrating culture
Figure n°15: Students’ opinion about the importance of integrating culture
The table above shows that 30 (100%) students out of 30 think that integrating culture is
important in the classroom.
Students’ justification
According to students who say that integrating culture in the classroom is important,
culture facilitates learning process. They claim also that learning about culture in the
classroom has a long term benefits for learners to become more effective teachers in the
100%
0%
Yes
No
59
future. Even their previous justification about the integration of the target language culture
in classroom was the opposite of what they answer now.
Item 16: How often does your teacher use tools to integrate culture in the classroom?
Possibilities Number Percentage
Yes 08 26.67%
No 21 70%
No answer 01 3.33%
total 30 100%
Table n°16: Students’ opinion about the frequency of using tools to integrate culture.
Figure n°16: Students’ opinion about the frequency of using tools to integrate culture
From the table n°16, we can see that 08 students (26.67%) see that their teacher always
uses tools to integrate culture, whereas 21 students (70%) see that their teacher do not use
any tools to integrate culture in the classroom.
26,67%
70%
3,33%
Yes
No
No answer
60
Item 17: Do you think that benefiting from tools that present FL culture in the classroom is
enough for you to be culturally competent?
Possibilities Number Percentage
Yes 11 36.67%
No 16 53.33%
No answer 03 10%
Total 30 100%
Table n°17: Students’ perception about the sufficiency of tools used in the classroom to
integrate culture
Table n°17: Students’ perception about the sufficiency of tools used in the classroom to
integrate culture
From what table shows that n°17, 11 students (36.67%) think that the amount of the
cultural aspect presented in the classroom is enough for them to be culturally competent.
Whereas 16 students (53.33%) assume that taking use of cultural knowledge in the
classroom is not enough to make them culturally competent. and the other 3 students they
have not answered this question.
36,67%
53,33%
10%
Yes
No
No answer
61
Item 18: What do you do to acquire cultural knowledge?
Possibilities Number Percentage
Benefit from tools presented in
class
06 20%
Watch FL TV (films, documentary,
videos...etc)
13 43.33%
Read about FL literature and works
of art.
04 13.33%
Chat directly with native speakers
through internet
07 23.33%
Total 30 100%
Table n°18: Students’ sources of acquiring cultural knowledge
Figure n°18: Students’ sources of acquiring cultural knowledge
From results presented in table n°18, we can see that the majority of students prefer to
get their cultural knowledge through Watch FL TV films, documentary, videos...etc and
interacting with native speakers in the net, since it is considered as a fast and easy way for
20%
43,33%
13,33%
23,33% Benefit from tools presented in class
Watch FL TV (films, documentary, videos...etc)
Read about FL literature and works of art.
Chat directly with native speakers through internet
62
them to recognize native speakers’ attitudes and their social interaction rules and knowing
more about their culture. 06 students (20%) learn about the FL culture through the tools
presented in the class.Whereas few students prefer to learn about FL culture through its
literature and works of art.
Item 19: Do you think that the poor knowledge about the FL speech community’s cultural
rules and social norms is the reason of learners’ poor communicative abilities?
Possibilities Number Percentage
Yes 19 63.33%
No 09 30%
No answer 02 06.67%
Total 30 100%
Table n°19: Students’ opinion about the reason of learners’ poor communicative abilities
Figure n°19: Students’ opinion about the reason of learners’ poor communicative abilities
From the table above we can deduce that the majority of students who say that the
reason of the learners’ poor communicative abilities is their poor knowledge about the
speech community’s social and cultural norms, culture plays a key role in making students
communicate appropriately in cultural contexts if not they will be lost in real life
discussion and even they will not get the real meaning of what would say by this words .
Others justify their answers claiming that the knowledge of FL social and cultural norms
facilitates communication because it reinforces students’ confidence, provides them with
63,33%
30%
6,67%
Yes
No
No answer
63
comfort and flexibility when communicating in real life situations. whereas Students who
say that the reason of learners’ poor communicative abilities is not the lack of knowledge
of social and cultural norms of the FL speech community, they justify their answers
claiming that knowledge of the different aspects of native speakers’ culture cannot make
learners communicatively competent, rather the student needs to have other abilities such
as grammatical, linguistic and pragmatic ones in order to reach an acceptable level of
competence and learning the cultural aspects of the culture is just a general information
which does not influence their learning of FL. For other students, the knowledge of FL
culture is not a primary necessity to master communication.
3.4 Findings
Before revealing the results of the analysis of the questionnaire by sections, certain
unsuspected points and that come to sustain the current research and may add an additional
support to the work should be mentioned. All the students expressed themselves in
English which represents the whole population. This fact reflects a linguistic competence if
we consider that we are dealing with third year in the department of English and answers
expected to provide with are simple sentences expressing their personal perceptions. Even
they have not justified all the questions and they have satisfied with answering the
question by yes / no.Third year students are aware of what competence means and they
admit that they are not satisfied with their linguistic competence and point out that the
student must have more than the linguistic competence to master the foreign language.
In section two the students clearly declare that their competence in communication is
between average and poor, the reason lies in that communication in the classroom is not
given much importance on the grounds that teachers focus on teaching grammar and
vocabulary rather than communication. They also claim that their weakness in
communication stems from problems related to the lack of exposure to authentic use of
64
language and restrained to the psychological status while performing communicative tasks
such as lack of self confidence which discourages them to engage in communication. From
the obtained data in the questionnaire, we noticed that students like to engage in
communicative activities through performing tasks with classmates, or through the net with
native speakers. This reveals that students support the idea of making oral expression
sessions as the only time of communication and interaction so as they improve their
competence in communication, they also relate it to the amount of exposure to FL culture;
they declare that their teachers rarely use tools to integrate culture although it is important
in improving their competence in communication. This shows a clear discrimination of the
role of incorporating cultural insights in the classroom. According to the students’ answers,
they are curious about the FL culture; this is shown in their interest about native speakers’
attitudes, behaviors, and interaction norms which push them to seek for opportunities to get
more familiar with FL culture through other tools outside the class,. Students’ agreements
on the idea that culture incorporation improves their communicative abilities reveal that
students are aware that culture is an important element of being competent in
communication although some of them disagreed and claimed that culture is not as
important as other elements of communicative competence such as the linguistic and
pragmatic elements.
Teachers’ Questionnaires
Introduction
The teachers’ questionnaire is intended to investigate the teachers’ opinions about
the effectiveness of intercultural awareness in improving EFL learners’ communicative
competence. It also aims at investigating the teachers thought of how language is being
taught and the problems being encountered with teachers in their teaching tasks.
65
Administration of the questionnaire
The teacher’s questionnaire consists of teachers of oral expression and culture in the
department of English at the University of Biskra. The questionnaire was distributed to ten
(10) teachers. The questions were divided into two types either closed questions, requiring
teachers to choose yes” or “no” answers, or to pick up the appropriate answer from a
number of choices, and open questions where teachers are requested to give explanation to
their answers. The teachers questionnaire consists of (22) questions which were divided
into three main sections.
Section one: (01 to 05) Background information
It contains three items designed to obtain general information about oral expression and
culture teachers’ level in terms of educational level, their experience in teaching the
module of oral expression.
Section two: (06 to 11) Culture and intercultural awareness and competence
This section is designed to provide us with teachers’ opinions about their students’ level
of cultural competence, their opinions of the importance of the cultural knowledge in
improving learners’ communicative abilities, and their tools to integrate cultural insights.
The last item is an open ended question in which we asked for teachers’ suggestions to
improve learners’ communicative competence.
Section three: (12 to 22) Students’ communicative competence
This section contains ten items, and the focus is made on teachers’ opinion about their
students’ level of communicative competence and their evaluation of their own teaching
method. Teachers’ are given an open space to provide with explanation, justification or
suggestion. The last item of this section is an introduction to the next section that is related
to the cultural aspect.
66
Analysis of the Questionnaire:
Data gathered will be treated in tables, and information will be presented and analyses
according to the order of items in the questionnaire. Only 10 teachers answered the
questionnaire, so the numbers of copies that will be taken into account are 10 copies.
Section one: Background information
1. Your gender?
Option Number Percentage
Female 4 50%
Male 4 50%
Total 8 100%
Table 20: Teachers’ gender
Figure n20: Teachers’ gender
The table above shows that the number of both male and female teachers is
Equal, So (50%) for each.
50% 50%
Female
Male
67
3.How long have you been teaching English?
Option Numbers Percentage
Once 2 20%
Twice 3 30%
More than twice 5 50%
Total 10 100%
Table n 21: The Teaching Experience of ‘Oral Expression
Figure n 21: The Teaching Experience of ‘Oral Expression
Possibilities Number Percentage 20% teachers claim that they teach oral expression
module once , in addition 30% they affirm that they teach twice ,and the last percentage
Teachers’ period of teaching oral expression module was 50 % and those are experienced
teachers .
2. From which you graduated?
Options Numbers Percentage
University 10 100 %
Higher Institute of Teachers 0 0%
Total 10 100
Table n22 : teachers’ graduation
20%
30%
50% Once
Twice
More than twice
100%
0%
University
Higher Institute of Teachers
68
Figure n22 : teachers’ graduation
From the table above all teachers graduated from the university .
4.Do you teach ?
Options Numbers Percentage
Oral expression 4 40%
Culture 3 30%
Both of them 3 30%
Total 10 100%
Table n 23: Teachers module of teaching
Figure n 23: Teachers module of teaching
From what the table above shows that the majority of teachers making up of 40% they
are teaching oral expression, but others they say that they teach culture making up of 30%,
the last pare they claim that they teach both of them 30%.
5.How many years have you taught this module?
Options Numbers Percentage
Less than five years 4 40%
5 to 10 years 5 50%
More than ten years 1 10%
Total 10 100%
Table n24: Teachers’ experience in teaching
40%
30%
30% Oral expression
Culture
Both of them
69
Figure n24: Teachers’ experience in teaching
Possibilities Number Percentage Less than 5 years 40% ,and 5 to 10 years 50% More
than 10 years 10% , so most teachers teach both modules for a long time they are
experienced teachers.
Part two: culture and intercultural awareness and competence
6.As far as third year students are concerned, how do evaluate their cultural competence?
Options Numbers Percentage
Good 5 50%
Acceptable 3 30%
poor 2 20%
Total 10 100%
Table n25: Teachers’ evaluation of students’ cultural competence
Figure n25: Teachers’ evaluation of students’ cultural competence
According to the table n°06, 5 teachers evaluate their students’ competence of
communication as still good; 3 teachers estimate it as acceptable. Whereas just 2 teacher
claims that the level of students is poor.
40%
50%
10%
Less than five years
5 to 10 years
More than ten years
50%
30%
20%
Good
Acceptable
Poor
70
Justification:
Most students were good in their communicative competence through their teach of the
English culture, but just a few students who have acceptable level in their cultural
competence .Most time just the weak students who have poor level due to many reasons
like learning English as additional diploma.
7. Do you think that communication can be developed independently of its cultural
context?
Options Numbers Percentage
Yes 4 40%
No 6 60%
Total 10 100%
Table n26: Teachers’ opinion about cultural context
Figure n26: Teachers’ opinion about cultural context
From the table we can see that the majority of teachers 60 % claim that students’
communication can be developed independently of its cultural context, while the rest 40%
opted for no .
7-1 -If no, in your opinion, to what extent cultural competence is important for being
communicatively competent
Options Numbers Percentage
Important 3 50%
Very important 2 33.33%
Not important 1 16.67%
Not important at all 0 0%
Total 6 100%
40%
60% Yes
No
71
Table n 27: Teachers opinion about the important of cultural competence
Figure n27: Teachers opinion about the important of cultural competence
The table shows that the extent cultural competence is important for being
communicatively competent making up of 50%, others see that it’s very important 33.33%
,and the least part is not important 16.67%,but no one claims for not important at all.
Justification: most teachers affirm that cultural competence is important because it help
students to achieve their abilities and communicate effectively during the courses .
8. What are the tools and materials that you usually use to introduce the FL culture?
Options Numbers Percentage
History and literature 1 10%
Authentic materials 5 50%
Literary texts -Tapes -Songs 1 10%
films, movies -
documentaries
1 10%
No answer 2 20%
Total 10 100%
Table n 28: Tools and materials that teachers’ use to introduce FL culture
50%
33,33%
16,67%
0%
Important
Very important
Not important
Not important at all
72
Figure n 28: Tools and materials that teachers’ use to introduce FL culture
From what the table shows tools and materials Number Percentage -Denotative and
connotative meanings -Lexical fields -History and literature 01 10% -Still working on
myself in what concerns FL culture, the teacher has to master it at first 01 10% -Authentic
materials -authentic texts 05 50% -Literary texts -Tapes -Songs 01 10% -Audio visual aids
-Pictures 01 10% -films, movies -documentaries -songs 01 10% No answer 02 20% .
9. what are the most known obstacles that faced you to reach your goal and raising the
intercultural awareness ?
10. Do you think that exposing students to the FL culture improves their cultural
competence and therefore their communicative competence?
Options Numbers Percentage
Yes 8 80%
No 2 20%
Total 10 100%
Table n 29: Teachers’ opinion about the effect of FL culture on the cultural competence
and communicative competence
10%
50% 10%
10%
20%
History and literature
Authentic materials
Literary texts -Tapes -Songs
films, movies -documentaries
No answer
73
Table n 29: Teachers’ opinion about the effect of FL culture on the cultural competence
and communicative competence
The majority of students affirm that 80% Fl culture have a great effect on students
communicative competence , while 20% say that it did not help students because only the
good material and skills can help them to communicate effectively .
11. As a teacher of language how do you teach English?
Options Numbers Percentage
In Algerian cultural context 1 10%
in English cultural context 7 70%
Or both 2 20%
Total 10 100%
Table n30: Teachers’ method of teaching English
80%
20%
Yes
No
10%
70%
20% In Algerian cultural context
in English cultural context
Or both
74
Figure n30: Teachers’ method of teaching English
From the present table teachers affirm that they teach English in English cultural
context 70%, while others say they teach it in Algerian cultural context 10%, and the last
they teach both 20%.
-Do you have a particular preference
Part three: About Students’ Communicative Competence
12. As far as third year students are concerned, how do you evaluate their level of
competence in communication?
Options Numbers Percentage
Good 5 50%
Acceptable 3 30%
Poor 2 20%
Total 10 100
Table n 31 : Teachers’ evaluation of students’ communicative competence
Table n 31: Teachers’ evaluation of students’ communicative competence
According to the table n°12, teachers evaluate their students’ competence of
communication as still poor 20%; teachers estimate it as acceptable30%. Whereas the
majority of teachers claim that the level of students is good.
13. In case it is not the expected level, do you think the reason has to do with :
Options Numbers Percentage
The student himself 6 60%
The method used 4 40%
Total 10 100%
Table n 32: Teachers’ opinion about the reasons of students’ poor communication
50%
30%
20% Good
Acceptable
Poor
75
Figure n 32: Teachers’ opinion about the reasons of students’ poor communication
The majority of teachers 60% claim that the poor communication of students are due to
the student himself and this is related to many personal factors , in addition 40% teachers
affirm that may be due to the method of teaching did not help students to study effectively .
Also we have others such as : the poor practice of students , the poor tools and material ,
the poor management of the classroom and the bad atmosphere of the classroom .
14. In your opinion, communication is not given much importance in the classroom
Options Numbers Percentage
No 0 0%
Yes 8 80%
To a certain extent 2 20%
Total 10 100%
Table n 33: Teachers’ overview about the importance of communication in the classroom
Figure n 33: Teachers’ overview about the importance of communication in the classroom
60%
40%
The student himself
The method used
0%
80%
20%
No
Yes
To a certain extent
76
The table above shows that, teachers affirm 80%communication is much important in
the classroom, but just a few number say that it’s because of certain content in the
classroom.
15. As far as third year students are concerned, what do you think should be the overall
goal of teaching communicative competence?
Options Numbers Percentage
To allow students practice
the oral language
4 40%
To make students
communicate easily
4 40%
To make students able to use
the target language in
different real life situations
2 20%
Total 10 100%
Table n34: Teachers’ opinion about the goal behind teaching communicative competence
Figure n34: Teachers’ opinion about the goal behind teaching communicative competence
From the analysis we can deduce that the majority of teachers claim that 80% the goal
behind teaching communicative competence is to allow students to practice the oral
language or the make them communicate easily, in contrast few number 20% affirm that
To make students able to use the target language in different real life situations .In addition
it help students to rich their background and have new vocabulary, so it lead them to speak
fluently.
16. What approach or method do you think is the most appropriate to attain this goal?
40%
40%
20%
To allow students practice the oral language
To make students communicate easily
To make students able to use the target language in different real life situations
77
Options Numbers Percentage
The audio lingual method 1 10%
The communicative approach 9 90%
Others 0 0%
Total 10 100%
Table n 35: Teachers appropriate method for good communication
Figure n 35 : Teachers appropriate method for good communication
One teacher believes that the most suitable method to make students able to use the
target language in different real life situations is the audio-lingual method. Nine teachers
believe that the communicative approach is the most appropriate to achieve this goal.
Justification of the answer:
The audio-lingual method: Exposing learners to audio-lingual media will improve their
pronunciation and their communicative capacities.
-In the CA, students are part of the task unlike the AL method students are considered as
parrots.
-The CA gives students the opportunity to use the TL in real life situations.
-The CA is based on providing the student with communicative activities meant to improve
learners’ accuracy and fluency.
-The CA allows students to acquire some interesting information about literature in a light
and entertaining way, the latter is, of course, communication.
10%
90%
The audio lingual method
The communicative approach
78
17. What activities do you usually use?
Options Numbers Percentage
Role-play 2 20%
Pair-work 2 20%
Free discussion 1 10%
Presentation 5 50%
Total 10 100%
Table n 36: Teachers’ used activities
Table n 36: Teachers’ used activities
According to the table n°17, teachers use a variety of activities in which their main
focus is to make students engage in real life communication and to make them active and
productive in communication process. Teachers affirm that presentation activities give
them the opportunity to express themselves 50%, in addition -Games -Role plays -Debates
20% , also the variety of activities fit the different learning styles of learners like 20% -
Pair work , then Different subjects discussion 10% Free discussion in order to show their
thoughts.
18. Do you qualify your teaching method as offering opportunities to students to develop
their competence in communication?
Options Numbers Percentage
Yes 9 90%
No 1 10%
Total 10 100%
Table n 37: Teachers view about developing students’ competence in communication
20%
20%
10%
50% Role-play
Pair-work
Free discussion
Presentation
79
Figure n 37: Teachers view about developing students’ competence in communication
From the table nine teachers 90% think that their teaching method is effective at
reaching its desired objectives. While one teacher 10 %believes that his teaching method
does not offer opportunities for students to develop their communicative abilities.Teachers’
explanation: Since the main objective of the CA is communication, I focus on activities
that motivate students to interact and improve their communication capacities. 02 20% -
Exposure to authentic use of language is the way to improve students’ competence of
communication. 02 20% -Making the student the fundamental element in the classroom is
the effective way to achieve the CA goals. 01 10% -Making students engage in real
cultural and social contexts enrich their knowledge about the use of the TL in such
contexts and therefore enhance their communicative competence. 02 20% -
Communicative competence includes the knowledge of the pragmatic use of language, so
as to obtain this objective; I tend to use materials which represent the socio-cultural
dimension in the classroom. 01 10% No -The method that we use does not actually reach
the wanted results because of the lack of materials that are meant to enhance students
communicative and language skills, students still lack the knowledge of the real use of the
TL in socio-cultural situations.
90%
10%
Yes
No
80
19. A student is considered as having achieved the expected level of communicative
competence when:
Options Numbers Percentage
He talks with a
grammatically correct
language
1 10%
He has the appropriate
flexibility to express him/her
self in a wide range of
contexts
2 20%
-He is creative and
imaginative in using the
language
2 20%
All of these combined 5 50%
Total 10 100%
Table n 38: teachers’ consideration of the reasons that achieved communicative
competence
Figure n 38: teachers’ consideration of the reasons that achieved communicative
competence
The table shows one teacher supposes that a student is communicatively competent
when he talks with a grammatically correct language. Two teachers claim that students are
communicatively competent when they have the appropriate things to say in a wide range
of contexts. Two teachers state that a student is competent in communication when he is
creative and imaginative in using the language. Whereas five teachers assume that they
consider the student as being competent when s/he has all of these characteristics.
10%
20%
20%
50%
He talks with a grammatically correct language
He has the appropriate flexibility to express him/her self in a wide range of contexts He is creative and imaginative in using the language
All of these combined
81
-Teachers’ justification
When students talk with a grammatically correct language Speaking correct sentences is
an important condition of being competent in communication 01 10% He has the
appropriate things to say in a wide range of contexts The knowledge of pragmatics is an
element of CC 01 10% He is creative and imaginative in using the language The students
must use the TL as it is used by the native speakers. All of these The students’
communicative competence is achieved if they master both rules of accuracy and
appropriateness
20. Do you think that the correct use of formal systems of syntax and semantics does itself
ensure the effectiveness of communication?
Options Numbers Percentage
Yes 10 90%
No 1 10%
Total 10 100%
Table n 39 : Teachers knowledge about the effectiveness of communication
Figure n 39 : Teachers knowledge about the effectiveness of communication
From the table above teachers’ responses about the sufficiency of the grammatical
knowledge for having a communicative competence nine teachers claim that the correct
use of formal systems of syntax and semantics itself does not ensure the effectiveness of
communication.
90%
10%
Yes
No
82
21. If no, what do you think students need to have in order to be communicatively
competent?
Teachers’ suggestions Number Percentage Some students have grammatical knowledge
but they fail in expressing themselves, they need to have a socio-cultural knowledge The
knowledge of grammar rules is not enough, students need to have the ability to use
language appropriately .In order to be effective in communication, students must know
about the TL interaction ,The students must mater the accuracy and appropriateness rules.
22. What do you suggest to improve learners’ competence in communication?
Students must be exposed to authentic language use , also Teachers should use
communicative activities as a basic element to improve learners’ communicative abilities.
In addition Teachers should expose learners to the FL culture so as they acquire the native
speakers’ use of language, then Learners should engage in real life communicative
situations. Learners should seek for communicative opportunities outside the class and
Oral expression teachers should focus on classroom interaction and communication, and
motivate students to be active in the Finally Teachers should encourage students to get rid
of shyness and frustration, to improve their classroom interaction. Moreover teachers have
to apply some rules such as :Teachers should apply the CLT approach with regard to its
purposes, which puts teaching communication one of its first priorities rather than teaching
structural rules. Teachers should bear in mind that teaching a FL is not about teaching the
linguistic code, but rather is about teaching how to use the linguistic codes appropriately in
social contexts. Communicative competence includes several competences like linguistic,
pragmatic, discourse, and cultural competence, the teacher has to master all of these
competences himself to teach them to his students.
83
Conclusion
Because the questionnaire was primarily designed to investigate the subject under
study, which is the effectiveness of intercultural awareness in improving EFL learners
communicative competence, the students’ answers revealed that the general level of their
communicative competence is insufficient. Students’ responses also revealed that
integrating the cultural of the FL in the third year LMD classrooms, at the department of
English at Biskra University, is not taken in consideration to improve their competence in
communication. The analysis of the students’ questionnaire allowed us to highlight certain
points that are of a great relevance to our subject. Firstly, students’ level of linguistic
competence is not in the expected level, and consequently their communicative
competence will be deficient. Secondly third year LMD students’ limited knowledge about
the cultural aspect decrease their involvement, their participation and therefore their
effectiveness in a communicative classroom.
84
GENERAL CONCLUSION
Our research is based on the effectiveness of intercultural awareness in improving English
Foreign Language learners’ communicative competence . Our purposes from this modest work are
to reveal the importance of using intercultural awareness that third year LMD students need in
order to develop their communication in the oral sessions , then to investigate their ability how do
they speak in English ,to see their communicative competence obstacles they are facing and to
suggest certain solutions to resolve these problems. To answer our questions, we aim at combining
the two methods descriptive and analytical one. Therefore, in order to confirm our hypothesis, we
submit two questionnaires to both third year English students and teachers of oral expression and
culture course at the English department of Biskra University in the academic year 2015-2016.
Basing in our research on investigating the hypothesis that was presented in the
introduction, we divide it into two main parts theoretical and practical part. The first part is
divided into two chapters. in chapter one ,we begin definition of culture as an important
element in our study , and their elements . In chapter two, we deal with an overview about
the communicative competence within the theorists’ opinions and definitions that it
concerns, and we discuss briefly about the elements of CC , teaching communication and
some characteristics of a good language learner .Moreover on that, the second part of this
research is a field work. In this part, we analyze the data gathering from questionnaires that
are devoted for both students of second year at the department of English of Biskra
University and to their teachers of oral expression and culture module. And in each
questionnaire, we provide a brief description before starting the analysis of the results that
we have gathered. Based on the obtained results from the administered questionnaire, we
can improve our hypothesis that the reliance of using cultural awareness to creates a well
progressed and fluent EFL learners’ communicative competence ..
85
RECOMMENDATION
To finish this present study that turns around on the importance of using intercultural
awareness in progressing EFL learners’ communicative competence . We state some
suggestions and recommendation that will be helpful and practical for both EFL students
and teachers of oral expression or culture module in general.
Communicative competence entails the mastery of the grammatical aspect and the
cultural one because there are forms in language which can not be isolated from its
cultural context in which they should be learnt. Knowing just grammar, syntax and
structure is not enough; they must be related to other appropriateness rules based on
the cultural aspect of language.
By assuming that communicative language teaching insists on the necessity of
integrating cultural insights, oral expression teachers should use tools and materials
to introduce the FL culture and engage learners in real authentic use of language
such as authentic materials, pictures, books, stories etc.
In addition to the integration of culture to improve learners’ communicative
competence, communicative and pre-communicative activities that include socio-
cultural insights make students develop their communicative competence as well as
their linguistic realization. Moreover, teachers should know that the more
communicative activities they address to students, the better their competence of
communication becomes.
They have to understand that the value of using intercultural awareness will
motivate them so they will ask for additional communicative competence tasks.
Participation in the oral courses is the powerful factor for an EFL learners.
86
Students have to be aware in using this intercultural awareness that will make them
to fit their speaking hindrances.
They have to practice much more activities in each oral course or culture so this
will certainly increase their ability to communicate properly.
And teachers are obliged to:
Invite their students to intervene them on using intercultural awareness, by helping
and encouraging them.
They must design interested communicating tasks that will motivate them.
They have to mention them the importance of using intercultural awareness.
They have to vary the students’ communicating activities that develop their
communicative abilities such as: role play, discussion and debates and some
games.
They have to provide their learners much more opportunity to participate by giving
them the chance to choose their own topics.
87
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88
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Appendices Appendix І: The Students’ Questionnaire
AppendixII:TheTeachers’ Questionnaire
Questionnaire for students’
Dear students:
I will be very grateful if you take a few minutes to complete this discourse completion task
about The Effectiveness of Intercultural Awareness in Improving EFL Learners
Communicative Competence .The significance of your feedback will be of great help to bring
the research I am undertaking to an end. Thank you for your cooperation.
N.B: We rely on your collaboration as far as your honesty.
For each item, tick the right box or write in the space provided.
Part One: Background Information
1. Age: ..................
2. Sex:
Male □ Female □
3. Was studying English at the university your first choice?
Yes □ No □
4. If not, how do you feel now that you are studying it?
a- Bored □ b- Motivated □ c- Indifferent □
5. If your answer to the previous question is (a), is your feeling of boredom due to:
a- Other interests and expectations □
b- Your negative attitudes towards the English people □
c- Differences in beliefs and concepts between your culture and the English culture □
part tow : intercultural awareness and communicative competence
6. Do you think that you can run a conversation with a native speaker?
Yes □ No □
6.1.If no, is it because of:
a- Linguistic problems. □
b- Lack of cultural knowledge. □
c- Inability to use linguistic expressions appropriately. □
d- Other factors (psychological self-confidence). □
7. How do you evaluate your linguistic competence?
-Very satisfying □ -Satisfying □ -Not satisfying □
8. Do you think that the linguistic competence is enough for the learner to master the foreign
language?
-Yes □ -No □
_Justify your answer please:.....................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................
9. Do you think that communication is neglected in the classroom?
Yes □ No □
_Justify your answer please:............................................................................................
............................................................................................................................................
10. During performing communicative tasks, do your teacher focus on
-Correcting grammar mistakes □
-Meaning of the Communication □
-Both of them □
11.How do you consider your competence in communication while performing
communicative tasks?
-Very satisfying □
-Satisfying □
-Poorly satisfying □
-Not satisfying □
12. If poorly satisfying or not satisfying, it is because of :
-Psychological problems (fear of the audience, shyness...) □
-Fear of the teacher’s judgment □
-Lack of self confidence □
-lack of vocabulary □
-Lack of exposure to authentic materials □
-Other reasons……………………………………………………………………………
..................................................................................................................
13.Which of the following is your favourite communicative task?
-Performing role plays, storytelling, dialogues, games □
-Talking with native speakers through means of online communication □
-Doing a survey or a research paper and discussing it with classmates □
-Interacting with classmates and teacher about personal topics □
-Other tasks......................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................... .
14.In your opinion, foreign language culture is not integrated enough in the classroom
-Yes □ -No □
Why?........................................................................................................................................
.................................................................................................................................................. .
15.Do you think that integrating culture in the classroom is important?
-Yes □ -No □
Why? ........................................................................................................................................
.................................................................................................................................................. .
16.Does your teacher use tools to integrate FL culture in the classroom?
-Yes □ -No □
17.Do you think that to set benefit from tools that present FL culture in the classroom is
enough for the FL learner to be culturally competent?
-Yes □ –No □
18.What do you do to acquire cultural knowledge?
-Benefit from the tools used in the classroom □
-Watch foreign language TV (films, documentary, videos)
-Read literary books and works of art of English language □
-Chat directly with the native speakers through means of online communication □
-Other ways ......................................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................................................... .
19. Do you think that the poor knowledge about the FL speech community’s cultural rules and
social norms is the reason of learners’ poor communicative abilities?
Yes □ No □
Explain how :.....................................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................................................
Thank you for your cooperation
Questionnaire for teachers ’
Dear teacher: We Are Looking For The Attainment Of Master Degree In Applied Linguistics. For That
Reason, We Deliver To You This Questionnaire That Will Be Used To Reach The Purposes
Of Our Research, Which Investigates the Effectiveness OF Intercultural Awareness In
Improving EFL Learners Communicative Competence Please Put A Cross (X) In The Box
That You Choose, And Write The Answer If Necessary. Thank You In Advance For Your
Help And Your Precious Time.
Part I: Background Information
1. Your gender?
Male Female
2. How long have you been teaching English? …………………
3. From which you graduated?
University Higher Institute of Teachers
4.Do you teach ?
Oral expression culture
5. How many years have you taught this module?
-Less than five years
-5 to 10 years
-More than ten years
Part two: culture and intercultural awareness and competence
6. As far as third year students are concerned, how do evaluate their cultural competence
-Good -Acceptable - poor
Justify
please:.......................................................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................................................
7. Do you think that communication can be developed independently of its cultural context?
-Yes -No
7-1 -If no, in your opinion, to what extent cultural competence is important for being
communicatively competent
-Important -Very important -Not important
-Not important at all
Justify
please:....................................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................................
8. What are the tools and materials that you usually use to introduce the FL culture?
a-
b-
c-
d-
9.what are the most known obstacles that faced you to reach your goal and raising the
intercultural awareness ?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………….. .
10. Do you think that exposing students to the FL culture improves their cultural competence
and therefore their communicative competence?
-Yes -No
Explain your choice please:
..............................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
11. As a teacher of language how do you teach English ?
-In Algerian cultural context .
-in English cultural context .
- Or both .
- Do you have a particular preference?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………… .
Part three: About Students’ Communicative Competence
12. As far as third year students are concerned, how do you evaluate their level of competence
in communication?
-Good -Acceptable -poor
13. In case it is not the expected level, do you think the reason has to do with :
-The student himself
-The method used
Other specify please:
.............................................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................................................................
.......
14. In your opinion, communication is not given much importance in the classroom
-yes no to a certain extent
15. As far as third year students are concerned, what do you think should be the overall goal
of teaching communicative competence?
-To allow students practice the oral language (be able to speak “correctly” in the target
language)
-To make students communicate easily
-To make students able to use the target language in different real life situations
Other (specify) please:.................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................................
16. What approach or method do you think is the most appropriate to attain this goal?
-The audio lingual method
-The communicative approach
-Others (specify)
-Justify your choice
please:..................................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................................................................
........
17. What activities do you usually use?
a-
b-
c-
d-
18. Do you qualify your teaching method as offering opportunities to students to develop their
competence in communication?
-Yes -No
Explain
please:......................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
.............................................................................................................
19. A student is considered as having achieved the expected level of communicative
competence when:
-He talks with a grammatically correct language
-He has the appropriate flexibility to express him/her self in a wide range of contexts
-He is creative and imaginative in using the language
-All of these combined
Justify
please:.......................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................
20. Do you think that the correct use of formal systems of syntax and semantics does itself
ensure the effectiveness of communication?
-Yes -No
21. If no, what do you think students need to have in order to be communicatively competent?
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
22. What do you suggest to improve learners’ competence in communication?
..................................................................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
Thank you for your cooperation
الملخص
لباطم یةزلانجلیا للغةا تصبحم، أولیا ملعالا هھدیش يذلا رطولتو المة ولعا لظ في ملإلماو ا اھفيتحصیل دیازلمتا متماھلاا في جلیا تنعكس، ارلعصا تیاوررض نم ورةرضو نم ھفان، اھشعب ثقافةأي ا ھل بیعيطلا طسوبال لغةزم أي تلا أدمب نم لاقاطنو ا.ا ھدعاوبق مقس في للحا صلياولتو الثقافي ا اھمھوأ اھنباوج لبك اھسردیأن یة زلانجلیاللغةا بالطل ھملما للغةا سیردت في لثقافيا بلجانا مجدی نیبجامعة محمد خیضر بسكرة ، أیة زلانجلیا للغةا فقاولما في لصاولتا في ھترااھم نیحس مما بالطلل لثقافیةا لحصیلةا اءرلإث كلذ ویة زلانجلیا دعن فوقولا وھثلبحا اذھفدھنفا، ھضعیتو سةدرا لخلا نم، و قلطلمنا اذھ نم.صلیة اولتا رةاھم نتحسیو لتحصی لجا نم اھیسردت لخلا لأجنبیةا للغة لثقافيا دلبعا جماإد و دورمیة ھأ .لصاولتا في بالطلا